Address at the 2011 Kochi University Graduate School Entrance Ceremony
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you who have been admitted to the graduate school at Kochi University today.
Building on your academic achievements to date, you have chosen to pursue further research in graduate school in search of new opportunities for growth.
I hope that your efforts will bear fruit, so that one day it will be proven that this choice was the right one and that it was meaningful.
The fundamental purpose of a university is to foster intellectual curiosity. Therefore, any activity rooted in intellectual curiosity is permitted and encouraged. However, this does not mean that unrestrained behavior is tolerated.
As the indispensable foundation of intellectual inquiry, researchers are expected to maintain an attitude of constantly asking themselves, “Is this beneficial to humanity?”
The distrust of science that has emerged since the late 20th century stems, in part, from society’s perception that researchers have lost sight of the attitude expected of them—a perception that leaves them with no choice but to express concern.
This is precisely why the Graduate School of Kochi University is committed to fostering professionals who are well-rounded generalists with advanced expertise. In other words, our goal is to cultivate experts whose professional competence is underpinned by the high moral character fostered by the integration of the humanities and sciences.
Nowadays, the term “knowledge-based society” has become part of everyday language everywhere. It is only natural to expect that those possessing advanced specialized and cutting-edge knowledge will play a significant role in society, and it can be said that resistance to the growing importance of science has relatively diminished. For this very reason, I believe we must be all the more committed to cultivating a character free from baseness.
You have entered graduate school, the highest level of academic study, and you are valuable individuals in whom our university places great expectations. For this very reason, I urge you to cultivate the ability to continually reflect on the social significance of the research topics you pursue, while also humbly listening to and intellectually engaging with the opinions and questions raised by society.
It is only natural to ask whether the practical outcomes of research benefit people or serve the greater good of human society. To completely ignore this question and retreat into the shell of one’s own intellectual curiosity is, from society’s perspective, unfair.
While the ways in which each of you responds to society from your respective fields of expertise may vary, we must answer this question with complete honesty. In fact, at that moment, the entire character of the person answering is being put to the test.
Through your continued dedication and hard work, I look forward to seeing you grow into the kind of professionals that 21st-century society—your era—expects and seeks: individuals equipped with advanced expertise underpinned by a broad education.
With the hope that you will forge a bright future for yourselves, I conclude my address as president.
April 3, 2011
Kochi University, a National University Corporation, President Yusuke Sagara