Address at the 2020 Kochi Graduate School
To all those who have been admitted to Kochi University, congratulations on your admission. On behalf of the current students, faculty, and staff, I extend our congratulations and a warm welcome to you.
To all parents and guardians, congratulations. We offer our heartfelt congratulations.
Starting today, you have become members of Kochi University—in other words, members of “Team Kochi University.” Everyone in Team Kochi University is both a friend and family, encouraging one another and striving together to improve.Kochi University is committed to “practicing education that is responsible to both students and society, and to sending students out into the world as independent members of society and future leaders.” From now on, please feel free to consult with us about anything—whether faculty, staff, or students—without hesitation. Let’s strive to be one team.
高知大学は、地域に根差し、地域と共に発展することで、不断に進化する国立大学 “Super Regional University”を目指しています。平成二十七年の地域協働学部の新設から始まる教育組織改革が一段落しました。それらは、Super Regional Universityとなるためのエンジンを備えるための改組でした。さらに、令和二年、まさに今年の四月から、新しい大学院もスタートしました。気が早いようですが、四年、ないしは六年の学びを終えた皆さんを、さらに深い学問の世界にいざなう体制が整いました。
First and foremost, I encourage you to gain practical knowledge and experience through your studies at the university. Through our university’s community-based education program—which combines classroom learning with on-site internships and practical exercises—I hope you will work hard to hone your skills and shine brightly. In addition, to broaden your international perspective, we are launching a program that offers study abroad opportunities to all interested students.
In recent years, our research has focused particularly on community-based research conducted in collaboration with Kochi Prefecture, Kochi University of Technology, and Kochi Prefectural University—initiatives that are at the global forefront of innovation. This project is titled “The Evolution Toward ‘Next-Generation Protected Horticulture’ Led by the Internet of Plants (IoP).”This initiative aims to transform protected horticulture—a major industry in Kochi Prefecture—by accumulating and analyzing plant physiological data during the crop growth period in the cloud, and then applying this data to a production system utilizing AI. Since it encompasses everything up to shipment management, we have high hopes that it will become an agricultural system that is fully profitable even for those with limited knowledge or experience, while simultaneously reducing the labor required.Our goal is to transform Kochi’s protected horticulture—which currently boasts the highest productivity in Japan—into a comprehensive package that leads the global agricultural industry.
The information society will continue to evolve and develop in the years to come. To all of you who will be at the forefront of this new era, I have one request. The world is engaged in a wide range of initiatives aimed at achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). While pursuing your studies at this university, I encourage you to broaden and deepen your global perspective. And I hope you will find a way of life that suits you.
Please look forward to the continued growth of Kochi University.
And right at the heart of it all, make sure to hone your skills.
Let me say it again.
Congratulations on your admission.
Welcome to Super Regional University.
April 3, 2020
Katsutoshi Sakurai, President, Kochi University