Commencement Address for the 2022 Academic Year
To everyone celebrating their graduation or completion of studies today, congratulations!
I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to your family.
In particular, since your time at this school was marked by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, I imagine this moment is especially poignant for you. With a variety of emotions in your hearts, you are now setting sail today toward your respective new horizons—whether that be entering the workforce or continuing your education.
I would like to share with all of you some thoughts on what you should consider now, with an eye toward the future. One of the representative works by Masashi Kawai—a writer and journalist who serves as a member of our university’s Management Council and as a visiting professor—is the “Chronicle of the Future” series.In the latest volume of that series, *Major Industry Shifts: What Will Happen in a Japan on the Brink*, he uses data to predict what various industries will look like 20 years from now, foreseeing the various crises that will be brought about by the rapid population decline that is fast approaching. With these crises looming, what I want to convey today to you, the younger generation—who will be the captains of the coming era—is that a paradigm shift, a major shift in thinking that breaks free from precedent, is necessary to survive in these unpredictable times.
Please take a moment to reflect on your time as students. Amid the massive societal upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic—an experience unlike anything you have ever faced before—there were undoubtedly events that challenged your established values. Nevertheless, please take pride in the fact that you have successfully completed your studies and research at Kochi University, weathered the storm of change, and reached this day. The academic and research skills you have cultivated at Kochi University, along with the bonds you have formed with your peers and faculty members, will undoubtedly serve as a foundation for your future lives.
To further strengthen our ties with you, we are currently preparing to establish an Alumni Association as part of the 2024 projects commemorating the 75th anniversary of Kochi University’s founding. We hope to welcome everyone who has been associated with our university to join us as supporters. We have already visited 34 city, town, and village offices throughout the prefecture and asked staff members who are graduates or program completers of our university to serve as branch presidents for the alumni associations in their respective municipalities.Our hope is that, starting with the entire Kochi Prefecture, you will join our cheering squad, deepen bonds through the network of graduates and program completers, and help energize the Alumni Association. In addition, the Alumni Association is currently working to expand its reach beyond Kochi Prefecture and overseas. We are making preparations so that, no matter where you are in Japan or abroad, you can remember Kochi University and nurture your connections.
As we face a paradigm shift unlike anything we’ve seen before, there will undoubtedly be difficult and trying times ahead. In those moments, please remember Kochi University and your fellow alumni. They will surely be a source of support and a cherished presence in your life.
Furthermore, during the fourth phase of its medium-term goals, which began in April 2022, Kochi University aims to continue evolving into a university that “supports the region and transforms it.” Of course, while sharing the experiences and achievements gained in the region with the world, we also aim to become known throughout Japan and around the globe as “the university that defines the region.” That, precisely, is the vision of Kochi University as a Super Regional University.
I sincerely hope that, from now on, all of you will serve as members of the Alumni Association and be the number one cheering squad for Kochi University, a Super Regional University. Thank you for your support.
Once this ceremony is over today, take a deep breath, open your eyes wide, and take a step forward into the future.
Let me say it again: Congratulations on your graduation and completion of your studies.
March 23, 2023
Katsutoshi Sakurai, President, Kochi University