The Future Research and Education of the Graduate School

Kazuyuki Saito

The University of Aizu, since its establishment in 1993, has been making preparations for the establishment of a Graduate School which has a Doctoral Program. The Graduate School is to actualize the objective of the establishment of the University which is based on five fundamental principles: the fostering of highly original talented people, contribution to internationl society, highly intensive education research, outstanding education/research utilizing regional characteristics and contribution to industries/culture in Fukushima Prefecture. On June 30, we submitted the Document for the Consultation on the Establishment of the University of Aizu Graduate School Doctoral Program to the Ministry of Education.

Facing the upcoming 21st century, the people of Fukushima Prefecture have immeasurably high expectations for the University in this digital and multimedia era based on international networks. The University of Aizu is expected to contribute to the restoration of Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture, and Japan through education and research in computers and information networking. Besides, fostering talented people and laying technological foundations are the faculty member's dreams too. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry is now working on a plan to build lively university-industry relations similar to those that exist in the United States by establishing links between industries needs and the seeds of universities. Graduate school students will be at the core of these links. However, the Graduate School is presently confronted with serious issues for completion of the Master's Program and the establishment of the Doctoral Program. To give our students hope for their future, to raise their ``motivation" and to foster highly qualified students through high-quality education are issues of great importance for the University of Aizu as a whole, including education in the undergraduate school. These issues must be resolved in order to reinforce and further develop the Graduate School and to establish the basis for cooperation with industries. The University of Aizu made a start not only with faculty members who have teaching experience in Japanese universities but with foreign faculty members and those who have work experience in enterprises. This is a feature of our University unprecedented in Japan.

Should the University of Aizu make full use of this feature, it would not be difficult to respond to the expectations of the people of Fukushima Prefecture and realise our own dreams too.