Academic Year 2016 President’s Address—Commencement Ceremony

27.03.2017 Update

Congratulations to all of you who have come here today to receive your advanced degrees from Ochanomizu University. On behalf of the entire faculty and staff of Ochanomizu University, I offer my warmest congratulations to you, your families and those who have supported and encouraged you both physically and psychologically as you reached this academic milestone. To all of our other guests who have taken time out of their busy schedules to join us here today, you have my sincere thanks for coming out to celebrate with us at today’s commencement ceremony.

Today we will award degrees to 252 individuals. Of that number, 224 will receive a master’s degree, 23 will receive a doctoral degree, and five will receive a doctoral degree by dissertation only. Of this class, forty-two are international students who came to study and conduct research at Ochanomizu University from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Sweden, Malaysia and Afghanistan. We are flying the flags of the countries of our international students in this auditorium alongside the Japanese national flag. It is a great pleasure for our faculty and staff to welcome students to Ochanomizu University’s graduate school from countries all around the world each year. We likewise enjoy being able to send out into the world students who have had the experience of pursuing their own unique courses of study and conducting their own research here at Ochanomizu. I am certain that living in another country with a different environment and customs was difficult for you international students. On this day of commencement, it fills my heart with joy to see each of you complete this incredible achievement.

Even at a time when it was difficult for women to conduct academic research, our graduates were playing active roles as researchers and educators both domestically and abroad. Kono Yasui, for example, was the first Japanese woman to receive a doctoral degree in science. She pursued her studies both in Japan and abroad despite facing many challenges, and she eventually contributed to the education of the next generation as a professor of this university. Chika Kuroda—Japan’s second female recipient of a doctorate in science—was the first female student at an Imperial university, which previously had not accepted women. After overcoming many obstacles, she pursued further research and later contributed to the development of young women as a professor here. During the incredibly difficult period following World War II, Toshiko Yuasa went to France and had an international career as an atomic physicist working under Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie. She also would later become a professor at our university and dedicate herself to researcher exchanges as an intermediary between Japan and France. Michiyo Tsujimura continued her research as an unpaid assistant at an Imperial university that would not accept women before becoming the first Japanese woman to receive a doctoral degree in agricultural science. Tetsu Yasui dedicated herself to education for women in Siam—now Thailand—after her extensive experience studying abroad, and became the second president of Tokyo Woman’s Christian University. Ikuko Koizumi championed the issue of women’s rights through social activism, such as her authorship of the book Theory of Coeducation based on her experience studying in the U.S. She also dedicated herself to Sino-Japanese educational and cultural exchange, and would later contribute to the foundation and development of J. F. Oberlin University. These pioneer women are just a few examples of the numerous world-class scientists and researchers our university has produced so far.

We have established the Ochanomizu University Awards, which are named after five of these legendary alumni. These awards honor Ochanomizu University alumni researchers for achievements in their respective fields. This year, the Kono Yasui Award was given to Dr. Narie Sasaki, Associate Professor of Nagoya University, and Dr. Kogiku Shiba, Assistant Professor of Tsukuba University. The Michiyo Tsujimura Award went to Dr. Atsuko Shimada, Professor Emeritus of Ochanomizu University, while the Ikuko Koizumi Prize went to Dr. Yuzuruha Oyama, Senior Manager of Tokyo National Museum. The Chika Kuroda Award was given to Dr. Kanae Tsushima, Assistant Professor of National Institute of Informatics, and Dr. Mayumi Kudo, Assistant Professor of National Institute of Technology, Gunma College, respectively. Dr. Yuko Mochizuki, RIKEN Unit Leader received the Toshiko Yuasa Award. Each of these award recipients is an amazing researcher in her own right. Perhaps some of you receiving degrees today will receive one of these awards in the near future; I certainly hope that is the case.

Even today, if you look at the academic backgrounds of many of the women who contribute to a wide range of areas in the liberal arts and sciences, not limited to academic and research fields, you may find it surprising how many of them are Ochanomizu University alums. Our alumni serve as role models and provide concrete goals for the students who come after them, along with powerful encouragement. The wonderful members of our alumni association, Ouinkai, have built a network spanning the globe and provide a wide range of support to new graduates. Located in Ouin Hall within the university, the alumni association is always willing to open its doors to graduates who need advice. I hope you will ask them for help if you are ever in need.

Society is changing rapidly around us. Major natural disasters and other difficult problems facing the world threaten to destroy the peaceful lives of people everywhere. Most of the world’s countries are faced with a number of different challenges involving areas such as poverty, environmental protection, food and energy security, aging populations, gene therapy and regenerative medicine, and peace and security. We may falter when faced with these issues, but no matter how difficult the situation, humanity has always mustered the courage to face these problems head-on and find a solution. Within this history of hardship, scholarship and research have played no small role, as have the people involved in both. In their long shared history, scholarship and research have brought safety and convenience to peoples’ lives. More crucially, I believe they have fulfilled a responsibility to future generations and given people the courage to blaze a path to the future.

You will soon be taking the first steps down your chosen path, employing the expertise you have cultivated over the years. You will also be building lives as talented specialists in various fields. Whether you’ve chosen the path of pursuing greater mastery of your specialization through research, or that of putting your specialized knowledge to use in society, I hope you will continue your studies to further deepen your expertise and to acquire new knowledge and techniques. That said, I want you to realize that studying only a narrow specialization will put limits on both your knowledge and imagination. It is for this reason that I want you to be unwavering in your efforts to overcome those limits.

As diverse new social issues manifest and grow ever more complicated, we frequently hear from various quarters about the need for interdisciplinary cooperation between many different specializations beyond single specialization. Each of these issues is simply too hard to solve through efforts made in a single discipline. Cooperating with a wide range of disciplines will allow you to learn new knowledge and techniques. More than that, it will help you gain new ways of looking at and thinking about things from different perspectives, new values, and an increased capacity for imagination. That will greatly expand your potential. Please make a conscious effort to interact with as many people with diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking as possible, especially those from different fields. I also recommend that you take advantage of opportunities to study and do research in a university environment once you make your way into the world.

As you push forward with specialized research or advance your career, it may not be easy to create new opportunities for learning in a different field. However, pursuing opportunities to learn about things outside of your specialization will hone and strengthen your expertise, as well as enrich your life.

Ochanomizu University is investigating and incorporating a variety of educational reforms to help you continue learning. We have improved systems that allow you to go back to school or take on new fields as well as strengthening multidisciplinary learning in our curriculum. We also offer a Business Leader Development Class for women aiming to further their careers. If you do not have the time for that, I hope you will take advantage of the various public lecture series and open symposiums we offer. We plan to develop additional systems like these to help as many working adults go back to university as possible.

Last April, with the scars of the Great East Japan Earthquake still not fully healed, a series of earthquakes in Kumamoto killed more than two hundred people, injured over 2,700, and damaged or destroyed at least 42,000 homes.

I know that some of you receiving degrees today volunteered in disaster relief and reconstruction efforts. Naturally, you did this out of concern for the people affected by each disaster. Many of you joined me during your school breaks to support children orphaned by the Great East Japan Earthquake. I am deeply moved and grateful to know that so many undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff have engaged in or continue to pursue volunteer activities. These activities include ongoing visits to disaster-stricken areas to help victims, provide educational support to children in the affected areas, and much more. Having experienced tremendous personal growth through experiences like these, those of you about to leave our university have proven yourselves reliable and worthy of admiration.

You will experience hardships over the course of your life. You will occasionally come up against a wall that blocks your path, and you will find that sometimes things do not go as expected. At some point, you will challenge yourself, and you will fail. Do not be ashamed of failure. Failure strengthens us, empowers us, and helps us sympathize with and feel compassion for those around us. Remember that even if you stumble, you must never give up. Getting back up and continuing to strive for your goals helps you grow as a person, and helps you carve out the future you envision for yourself. Overcoming hardship in this way will develop your sense of pride in yourself.

That said, don’t suffer alone when you are struggling. It’s important to reach out to the people around you for help. Remember that you can always come back to your alma mater, Ochanomizu University, when you need a break to rest your mind and body. Not just when you’re facing uncertainty, but when you’re happy, or sad, or want to pursue continuing education options. You have an open invitation to visit your alma mater and let us know how you’re doing. No matter where you are, or how much time passes, please never forget that Ochanomizu University is your alma mater.

Once again, I sincerely congratulate you on your success and wish you a bright future.

March 23, 2017
Kimiko Murofushi, Ph.D.
President
Ochanomizu University

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