April 11th, 2023

Mukogawa Women's University, Work Academy, and Resona Bank have signed a “tripartite agreement" for a recurrent education career support program focusing on IT and DX.

In conjunction with the launch of MUKOnoa+, a recurrent education program at Mukogawa Women's University's Nishinomiya Kitaguchi Campus in April, Mukogawa Gakuin, the governing body of Mukogawa Women's University, Work Academy Inc. and Resona Bank have signed an agreement for collaborative cooperation in career support programs associated with recurrent education mainly in the IT and Digital Transformation (DX) domains.

In April, Mukogawa Women's University will launch a recurrent education program, MUKOnoa+, based at the Nishinomiya Kitaguchi Campus. The core of the recurrent education is to develop a wide range of DX talents for all businesspersons and support them to advance in their respective careers.

The Tripartite Agreement was signed by Mukogawa Women's University, Work Academy (a partner in recurrent education), and Resona Bank, with the aim of contributing to the career development of working adults and the supply of professionals to the region through the career support business associated with recurrent education.

Under the agreement, Work Academy will serve as Mukogawa Women's University's recurrent education partner, providing career support such as re-employment and job placement referrals in growth fields centered on IT and DX, while Resona Bank will introduce business partners who wish to receive recurrent education and professional personnel.

Through the collaboration of the three parties, members of society will be able to learn necessary skills and build on their careers, and a stable supply of human resources to the region will be made possible.

April 10th, 2023

As part of the "Dementia Prevention Class," a project involving collaboration among medical faculties, a nutrition lecture was held at the Research Institute for Nutrition Sciences on March 27th, using curry dishes as teaching materials, for which students from the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition were involved in making. 

Students also participated in the lecture. The curry dishes were utilized in providing an explanation of a diet that prevents high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

Regarding dementia prevention and food ingredients, Ms. Teratani said, "In the course of my study, I found it useful to know that diet and nutrition are related to cognitive function," Ms. Yoshida said, "I wanted to propose a new way to eat tinned mackerel, which contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that are considered effective in preventing dementia," and lastly, Ms. Ichiki added, "Curry powder and spices such as turmeric and curcumin may also be linked to reducing cognitive decline, which led me to come up with a curry dish that everyone can enjoy."

The 16 participants and the staff members of the Dementia Prevention Class (Prof. Atsuko Tokushige, School of Nursing, and Prof. Naoto Otaki, Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition) commented that the class was very easy to understand and informative, and that they would like to make the recipes at home. Professor Yasuko Fukuda, who was in charge of teaching the students, said, "It is the role of dietitians to develop and propose recipes based on nutritional evidence. The students worked on problem-solving through repetitive learning. We also believe that we were able to provide more effective dietary education to the elderly by having them actually see the dishes in action," she said. The curry dishes will be considered for a new frozen bento "Watashi Gohan, Anata Gohan."

April 6th, 2023

Reboot, a welcome party for new students of the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences.

Mukogawa Women's University Health and Sports Science Department held a welcome party, Reboot, for new students on April 6th in the gymnasium. All first-year students, senior students, and faculty members of the School of Health and Sports Science participated in this event, and an interclass dodgeball tournament was held. In the tournament, everyone present gave it their all, engaging in heated battles and interacting with each other.

This event was planned by the Health and Sports Executive Committee; until 2022, the event had been canceled or held on a smaller scale due to the pandemic, but this year, the committee decided to hold a large-scale welcome party for new students to restore the tradition of the Faculty of Health and Sports. In order to make the welcome party a success, the executive committee voluntarily held a training camp for planning and made extensive preparations under the guidance of senior students.

Aya Kumaoka, a third-year student in the Department of Health and Sports Science, a member of the organizing committee, said, "We faced some challenges in the early stages of planning, but seeing the new students enjoying themselves made us glad we held the event." Professor Naoko Murakoshi of the Health and Sports Science Department also expressed her hope that this event, which is a tradition of Mukogawa Women's University, will continue, as the students worked together to make the event a success.

April 6th, 2023

An introductory lecture on the MUKOJO Future Education Program SOAR was given by the Institute for Women's Career Advancement and Gender Equality Development.

The introductory lecture for the MUKOJO Future Education Program SOAR*, which began last year and is now in its second year for all new freshmen, was held on April 6 at the Koe Memorial Auditorium on the main campus.

The Institute for Women's Career Advancement and Gender Equality Development has planned a program to first acquaint new students who are beginning their student days with the various challenges that women may face. The SOAR program will be offered throughout the year, with introductory lectures on understanding gender and sexuality, women's career, and personal life management.

The introductory lectures were held on the 6th and 7th. The day's lectures were opened by Professor Kyoko Takahashi, Director of the Institute and Dean of the Faculty of Food Sciences and Nutrition, who explained the purpose of SOAR and the history of the University from the history of women's higher education. This was followed by lectures on the following three topics by three professors, all of whom are researchers at the Institute for Women's Career Advancement and Gender Equality Development.

The topics and instructors for the introductory lectures (105 minutes total) are as follows

"Gender and Sexuality" by Akemi Nakamura, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education.

"Women's Work Environment and Career Design" by Chieko Takahashi, Professor, School of Business Administration.

"Women's Life Planning and Law" by Akiko Yamamoto, Professor, School of General Education.

April 4th, 2023

The entrance ceremony for the 2023 fiscal year of the university and junior college was held for the first time in four years, with parents and others in attendance.

The entrance ceremony for the 2023 academic year for Mukogawa Women's University and Junior College Division was held at the Koe Memorial Auditorium on the main campus on April 4th. Due to the pandemic, the entrance ceremony was suspended for the 2020 academic year and since the 2021 academic year, only students enrolled at the university had been able to attend the ceremony. This year, for the first time in four years, the restriction was lifted to allow parents and others to attend the ceremony.

To liven up the entrance ceremony, student volunteers set up a photo spot on campus and welcomed the students in stuffed Lavy, the school's character. The brass band performed, and the baton and cheerleading clubs gave cheering performances. The entrance ceremony will be held on the 5th as well, and a total of 2,457 students from universities and colleges will start their new student life at the three campuses: main campus, Kamikoshien Campus, and Hamakoshien Campus.

Mukogawa Women's University requires students to wear university uniforms during ceremonies, and on the 4th, the Junior College held its entrance ceremony in the morning, and the four faculties (Literature, Food Sciences and Nutrition, Architecture, and Nursing) held theirs in the afternoon, with students wearing their brand new attire.

President Kazuyoshi Seguchi encouraged the students in his ceremonial address, "I hope you will think deeply and act proactively on your own, and aim to be active in the world as people who can play an active role in the era of women. The student representative emphasized, "Challenge yourself to do what you can do because you are a student, cherish each day, and find what you can devote yourself to. She added, "I will do my best with all the pride and consciousness that comes with being a Mukogawa Women's University student.”

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."