December 2nd, 2024
The Mukogawa Women's University Kami - Koshien Campus was lit up on November 30, and about 800 visitors enjoyed the historical building illuminated by the light. Students and graduate students of the School of Architecture, who were presenting the results of their studies, illuminated the Koshien Kaikan with floodlights in various ways to make the building look its most beautiful. Many visitors marveled at the fusion of the historical building and the lights.
Forty-eight first-year students of the Department of Architecture, 42 first-year students of the Department of Landscape Architecture, and 19 first-year students of the Master's Program of the Graduate School of Architecture were involved in this lighting project, which took about a month and a half of preparation in seminar and fieldwork classes. The first-year master's students of the School of Architecture designed the wall lighting, and the first-year students of the Department of Architecture and the Department of Landscape Architecture installed the lighting fixtures.
Dean Okazaki noted, “By illuminating the building, we can better understand the beauty of its design.”
When the doors opened at 5:00 p.m., people of all ages, including families, couples, and students who had made reservations in advance, came to the exhibition. A couple eagerly taking pictures with a camera in hand said, “This is the first time I've seen this, but the light is beautifully coordinated with the historical buildings.” A junior high school student who visited with a friend said, “I have been coming here with my family since I was 3 years old, but today I came with my friend. It is still beautiful no matter how many times I see it."
The lighting up of Koshien Kaikan has been an annual event held before Christmas every year since 2006, when the Department of Architecture (now the School of Architecture) was established on the Kami-Koshien Campus. Although the event had to be temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, it was reopened to the public last year. Students have been working on the lights as part of their classes.
November 28th, 2024
Three fourth-year students from Bahçeşehir University in Turkey, which has a general exchange agreement with MWU, came to Japan for two weeks to participate in a special program of the Department of Innovative Food Sciences. While attending lectures on traditional Japanese food and participating in cooking classes, they also toured the food industry and food production sites, including a sake brewing company in Nada. They also experienced Japanese culture by sightseeing in Kyoto and Nara.
In 2023, the Department of Innovative Food Sciences started an exchange program with Bahçeşehir University in Turkey, which already had an established exchange agreement with MWU, with the aim of developing individuals who can play an active role internationally in the food industry, which is becoming increasingly globalized.
Many students from the Department of Innovative Food Sciences cooperated with the students of Bahçeşehir University during their visit to Japan. The students of MWU conducted cooking classes with the visiting students, followed accompanying them on off-campus sightseeing tours and visits, and lived together in a dormitory, fostering friendships across borders.
At the end of their stay in Japan, students from both universities exchanged memorable messages, and some were seen in tears as they bid farewell to each other. The program deepened exchange and cooperation between the two universities and contributed to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and Turkey.
November 28th, 2024
On November 14, “Mukogawa Women's University x SAP Career Session for Promising Women,” a lecture on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) practiced by SAP Japan (Head Office: Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), which has concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement with Mukogawa Gakuin Corporation, was held at Mukogawa Women's University. SAP is a German company headquartered in Germany.
SAP is Europe's largest software company headquartered in Germany, and SAP Japan was established in 1992 as its Japanese subsidiary. SAP Japan's CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities include regional development, next-generation education, and disaster recovery support.
On July 5, Mukogawa Gakuin and SAP Japan signed an agreement on comprehensive cooperation with the aim of contributing to the promotion of SDGs, regional development, local community development, and human resource development. The agreement aims to further deepen cooperation in various fields including education, research, and regional contribution, and to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by addressing the following cooperation and collaboration issues.
(1) Matters related to the development of next-generation digital human resources.
(2) Sustainable development of local communities
(3) Matters related to activities for local development and resolution of regional issues.
(4) Matters related to environmental conservation and maintenance
(5) Matters related to women's career advancement.
Assistant Professor Koji Taniguchi of the School of Business Administration, who has been working with SAP Japan, said, “Through the lecture and workshop, I felt that SAP's approach to DE&I is very progressive in that they not only embrace diversity but also make it a driving force for innovation. I was impressed by the willingness of the participants to share their experiences and opinions during the workshop. I saw participants recognize unconscious prejudices and barriers in the workplace that they are usually unaware of, and come up with concrete action plans to eliminate them. I felt that this kind of experiential learning is the key to transforming DE&I from “knowledge” to “action,” as DE&I is an important element in maximizing the potential of each individual and achieving sustainable growth for the organization as a whole. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this initiative will impact the leadership and work styles of the next generation."
November 26th, 2024
Ten second-year students of the Master's Program in Architecture and Landscape Architecture visited Turkey for 18 days from October 23 to November 9 to participate in “ICSA in Istanbul,” a short-term program for international students to receive practical training in conservation and restoration-related fields.
ICSA in Istanbul is based on the general exchange agreement signed between MWU and Bahçeşehir University in Turkey as of December 2008, and has been offered to students who wish to participate in the program as part of the overseas conservation and restoration practical training classes since FY2010. Meanwhile, “ICSA in Japan,” which accepts Turkish students, has been held at MWU to deepen exchanges between the two countries through architecture. "ICSA in Japan” was just held in June and July of this year with the participation of eight students from Turkey. On that occasion, there were scenes of joyful reunions with students and faculty members who had come to Japan.
This year, in addition to Istanbul, where Bahçeşehir University is located, and students visited Cappadocia, Safranbolu, Edirne, and Bursa to see historical buildings such as mosques and palaces, conservation and restoration sites, and historical townscapes. The students received a lecture on the conservation and restoration of traditional architecture from Professor Mulatu Dündar, Dean of the School of Architecture and Design at Bahçecşehir University, and sketched historical buildings and landscapes unique to Turkey.
November 19th, 2024
As part of the Initiative for Realization of Diversity Research Environment (Female Leader Development) project, the “English Skill Development Training Program for Female Research Leaders” has started at the Science Commons of Mukogawa Women's University.
This training program, consisting of a total of five sessions, aims to enable participants to communicate effectively in English in an impromptu manner at international conferences and other events.
The first session was led by Professor Mayumi Tanaka and Lecturer Christopher Edleman of the Department of English and Global Studies, and additional support from Associate Professor Anita Aiden of the General Education Department. Starting with the second session, the training will be held three times with Dr. Ron Reed of Human Academy, Inc. as the instructor.
Participants commented, “I was able to learn the etiquette and communication tips in English-speaking countries,” “I had never learned how to behave at a reception party after a conference, so I learned a lot,” and “There was nice music playing in the background at the training, which made it comfortable for us to ease into speaking English. I had never before learned how to interact at a reception party after an academic conference, so it was a great learning experience for me."
November 19th, 2024
Every year on November 17-18th, landmarks around the world are illuminated in TEAL calling for the elimination of cervical cancer, and the Central Campus Lab Building was lit up in blue for two days.
As part of the “Teal Blue Japan Blue Light-up Campaign,” in which Japanese landmarks are illuminated in blue, universities and medical institutions in the Kansai region are participating in the “Teal Blue Japan Campaign 2024 University Light-up in Kansai,” which was launched by the University's Research Institute for Women's Career Advancement and Gender Equality Development.
The University's Research Institute of Education and Graduate School of Clinical Education have been lighting up the Institute building in blue since 2019 to coincide with World Autism Awareness Day from April 2, as designated by the United Nations, when major landmarks around the world are lit up in blue ("Light It Up Blue (LIUB)").