April 1st, 2023
The fiscal year 2023 has begun.
On April 1st, 2023, Mukogawa Women's University newly opened the Faculty of Psychology and Social Welfare, the Faculty of Social Informatics, and the Department of Sports Management in the Faculty of Health and Sports Science, bringing the total to 12 faculties and 19 departments. On the first day of the new academic year, an appointment ceremony was held for new faculty members joining Mukogawa Gakuin and a general meeting of the administrative office was held prior to the entrance ceremony, marking a lively start to the new academic year.
This year, 77 new faculty members have joined the university, junior college, affiliated junior and senior high schools, nursery schools, and administrative offices. At the appointment ceremony, Dean Ryo Okawara said, "We are now being forced to deal with a variety of issues for which there are no clear answers, such as the unexpectedly low birthrate, globalization, digitalization, diversity, and the SDGs. In these times, it is important to trust in the wisdom of people. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the founding of the institute, which will be celebrated in 16 years, we will embody our vision of "empowering women to nurture a lifetime of learning. She also called on the faculty and staff to work together as one and move forward to continue to be a women's university that is needed by the community.”
At the plenary meeting of the administrative office, newly appointed staff members took the stage and addressed the audience one by one. The representative expressed her determination, "I will do my best to help the institute celebrate its 100th anniversary in a spectacular way."
March 30th, 2023
A gathering for the finalists of #SASS2022 SDGs / Sustainability Award for junior high and high school students organized by university students.
Eighteen high school students who were finalists in the #SASS2022 SDGs / Sustainability Award visited Mukogawa Women's University on March 28th, and had an exchange meeting with 12 students who were involved in the management of the award.
The SDGs video contest for junior and senior high school students run by university students, was launched in 2020, called for by the University's Faculty of Business Administration and Professor Yokota's independent seminar at Keio University (Yokota Associates, Inc.). Since the beginning, students from the Faculty of Business Administration have participated in the management of the contest as part of their practical learning, and eight students are working on this project in FY2022. The theme of this year's event is "Let's think, act and communicate about SDGs." 2-5 minute videos on the theme from junior high and high school students across Japan, and 262 submissions were collected, the largest number of submissions from 67 schools nationwide, with 1007 participants.
Students from seven universities, including eight from the School of Business Administration, were responsible for managing the awards. Meetings were held in groups for the website, teaching materials, public relations (SNS), middle and high school liaison, and judging. Thirty-eight works were selected as finalists in the preliminary screening by university students, and after the final screening, 15 award-winning works were announced on March 22.
Social gatherings were called for finalists and were held in Tokyo on the 27th and in Kansai on the 28th. Due to the pandemic, all the events, including the awards ceremony, had been held online, so there were few opportunities for participants to meet each other, and this was the first in person event. Participating high school students were divided into groups with university students from the management side, and held workshops such as calculating their lives backward towards the time when they become 30. High school students commented that "interacting with the other finalists gave us an opportunity to reflect on our own activities and think about what we need to work on next."
March 29th, 2023
A certificate of commendation given to teachers that practiced class improvement.
On March 24, President Kazuyoshi Seguchi presented certificates of commendation to faculty members for their efforts in devising and practicing ways to make their classes even better.
The purpose of this system is to provide visibility regarding the hidden areas of educational activities of teachers who are devising and practicing better teaching methods that lead to improved teaching in their daily educational activities, and to identify and encourage their contribution to the improvement of teaching.
The faculty members who received awards are listed below. [Department, name (honorific title omitted), course title, and academic year in which the course was offered, in that order].
Kazuyuki Kambara, Department of Education
"Theory of the Content of Arithmetic Subjects" (1 year in the Department of Education)
Keiko Wakimoto, Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition
"Exercise of Dietary Survey Methods" (1 years in the Department of Food and Nutrition)
Yukari Suehiro, Department of Human Environmental Sciences
"Drafting CAD Practice II"(2nd years in the Department of Human Environmental Sciences)
March 20th, 2023
Graduation ceremonies for the three faculties of Mukogawa Women's University were held, completing the schedule of graduation and completion ceremonies for this academic year.
Mukogawa Women's University held graduation ceremonies for the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Koe Memorial Auditorium on March 20, completing three days of graduation and completion ceremonies for the 2022 academic year.
Graduating on the 20th were 234 students from the School of Education, 210 from the School of Health and Sports Sciences, and 194 from the School of Pharmacy.
Mika Matsushita, the valedictorian of the graduating class, from the Department of Pharmacy, expressed her gratitude for the unique learning experience at Mukogawa Women's University, saying, "I was able to take classes that transcended departments as only Mukogawa Women's University can, which broadened my perspective and gave me new stimulation by being connected with people from other departments. She also reflected on her experience of seeing the smiles on the faces of patients as a result of her own suggestions during her hospital training, and expressed her determination, "As I go out into the world and work as a hospital pharmacist, I will do my best with what I learned here in mind."
Following last year, this year's graduation ceremony was presided over by a student, and student volunteers played an active role in giving the graduates a lively send-off. Photo spots for commemorative photos were set up in various locations. The campus was decorated in a festive mood with balloon art in the courtyard and in the Building of Literature No. 2. In addition, video messages from faculty and staff of each department were filmed in advance and shown on the screen before and after the ceremony.
One of the student volunteers, Miki Ikegaki, a third-year student in the Department of Psychology and Social Welfare said, "It was a great experience for us to hear the voices of teachers and staff from other departments that we rarely encounter in our daily work, and to be able to conduct interviews with graduates too."
A stuffed MWU character, Lavy also made an appearance on campus. Graduates who had completed their graduation ceremony the day before visited the campus in hakama (traditional Japanese dress) and enjoyed taking commemorative photos with their friends.
March 14th, 2023
The "Dean Okawara Award" ceremony was held to honor students for their outstanding achievements in their extracurricular activities.
On the afternoon of March 14, the "Dean Okawara Award" ceremony was held in the Global Studio of the library on the Main Campus to honor students who have achieved outstanding results in national and world-class competitions in extracurricular sports and cultural activities.
For the first time, a sit-down discussion was held between Dean Okawara and the 15 attendees. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including reports on each student's achievements, their daily practice status, and how they got started in the sport. After listening to the students' comments, Mr. Okawara expressed his gratitude by saying, "I would like to thank you all for the wonderful results you have achieved through your daily practice. I hope you will continue to devote yourselves to better competitions and cultural activities in the future," he said in words of encouragement.
On behalf of the award winners, Ms. Mari Yakimoto (2nd year, Japanese Language and Literature) of the calligraphy club said, "I have been blessed to have been able to continue calligraphy for eight years since I started at the affiliated junior high school. I am filled with joy and gratitude because I was able to receive an award this time. I was also able to hear valuable stories from people who are involved in other club activities and extracurricular activities that I rarely come into contact with on a daily basis, and it was a great learning and stimulating experience. Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity."
After that, the baton and cheerleading clubs performed the Celebration Dance to congratulate the attendees.
The winners of the 2022 Dean Okawara Award are as follows.
Affiliations with Off-Campus Organizations (individuals division)
Mari Sawa (2nd year, Japanese Language and Literature)
Shiho Watanabe (2nd year, Human Environmental Sciences)
On-Campus Organizations (individuals division)
Calligraphy - Mao Ueda (4th year, Japanese Language and Literature)
Mari Yokemoto (2nd year, Japanese Language and Literature)
Suzuna Shimada (2nd year, Japanese Language and Literature)
Chiharu Ikeda (1st year, Human Environmental Sciences)
Canoe - Yukiho Hiwatashi (4th year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Mio Kobayashi (3rd year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Rin Fukuda (3rd year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Sayaka Oshima (2nd year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Ami Kumaoka (1st year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Yuui Tomisawa (4th year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Swimming – Matsuri Arai (4th year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Gymnastics - Aiko Sugihara (2nd year, Junior College Health and Sports Sciences)
Volleyball - Manaho Miyashita (3rd year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Fuuka Miya (1st year, Early Childhood Education)
Track and Field - Miu Kishino (4th year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Akari Funada (4th year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Competitive Ski - Hina Fujiki (3rd year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Taekwondo - Yukiko Niwa (4th year, Health and Sports Sciences)
Mina Isomura (2nd year, Health and Sports Sciences)
March 14th, 2023
Takahashi Seminar, Department of Business Administration, held a meeting to report the results of Generation Z research.
The results of the "Research on Generation Z Women," conducted by students of the School of Business Administration at Mukogawa Women's University over a 10-month period starting in May. It was compiled and a debriefing session entitled "The Realities of Kansai Women's University Students" was held at the Koe Memorial Hall on March 10. Students presented the results of the research on six themes, including cosmetics, beauty, food, and money, and the realities of "Generation Z".
Generation Z refers to the generation of young people born between 1995 and 2010 who are in their teens to mid-twenties. Many companies, organizations, and researchers participated in the conference, as they were able to hear the candid and honest opinions of the generation that will be at the center of production and consumption in the future.
Twenty third-year students of the Takahashi Seminar (Professor Chieko Takahashi) in the School of Business Administration conducted the project. They conducted surveys and interviews with dozens to a hundred people for each theme, and sent out monthly messages on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for each theme, summarizing trends in awareness and behavior that can be understood because they are of the same generation.
Professor Chieko Takahashi said, "We believe it is very important to get to know Generation Z in depth, as they will eventually become the bearers of consumption. I think we were able to convey the voice of Generation Z through the exchange meeting between the seminar students and participants."