Address at the 2020 Kochi University and Graduate School Entrance Ceremony
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.
Kochi University aims to become a “Super Regional University”—a national university that is rooted in the local community and evolves continuously by growing alongside it.The educational restructuring that began with the establishment of the Faculty of Regional Collaboration in 2015 has now reached a milestone. These changes were designed to equip the university with the engine needed to become a “Super Regional University.” Furthermore, in April 2020—just this year—a new graduate school was launched. It may seem premature, but we have now established a system to guide those of you who have completed four or six years of study into the deeper realms of academia.
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