Fall Semester Entrance Ceremony 2014.10.1

Fall Semester Entrance Ceremony 2014.10.1

On this day, here at the celebration of the year 2014 Hiroshima University Fall Semester entrance ceremony, I would like to congratulate you and sincerely welcome all the newly entering students to Hiroshima University. It is my hope that your new life at Hiroshima University will be fulfilling and meaningful.

Hiroshima University was established in 1874 as Hakushima School, but after various transitions, it was combined with eight schools to be re-established on May 31, 1949 as the new Hiroshima University, with its main campus in Higashi-Senda, Hiroshima City, an area that was devastated by the atomic bomb. In 1995, Hiroshima University completed its merger and relocation to the present Higashi-Hiroshima Campus. Currently, our university has approximately 15,000 students and has developed into a leading comprehensive university in Japan with 11 faculties and 11 graduate schools.

Last year, Hiroshima University was adopted as member of “the program for promoting the enhancement of research universities”, and this year, our university was elected by the Top Global University Project. That means that Hiroshima University is highly promising and “represents Japan by improving ability to research and educational power and by contributing to global society as an institution of world class level.”

Within the last 50 years, globalization of the human society has grown rapidly and social structures have become more and more vague and are becoming more and more diverse and complex. We all benefit from the advancement of academic research, but there are new challenges we have to overcome such as clash of ideologies, territorial disputes, growing terrorist threats, recurring and novel infectious diseases and frequent natural disasters. I believe that the university as a “Base of Knowledge” will play an increasingly important role to solve these problems of human society.

The Great East Japan Earthquake from March 11th 2011 and the large scale mudflow in Hiroshima in August of this year took a heavy toll on our country and showed us that mankind has to co-exist with nature. We should never forget the great toll and continue to focus on the afflicted areas, where restoration is still lagging behind.

Man is said to be “the only creature able to learn from history”. We have to leverage our experiences in order to build a safer and more peaceful human society. We should review our attitude of being totally committed to the economy cultivate sensitivity to cope with a world of increasing diversification, value spiritual richness and build a society based on new values. University is a place where students learn and undergo academic training by their own initiative. I wish that you as students of our university will acquire enthusiasm for continuing life-long learning and that you will refine sensitivity by experiencing excellent art and culture and foster a rich humanity.

Social environment is changing quickly and increasingly difficult to predict. Society needs powerful human resources strong enough to cope with these environmental changes and able to keep their eyes on the future.
Those of you who are entering Hiroshima University today as new students should set clear goals and define what you want to learn or acquire during your student life. I hope that you will keep these steadfast goals in mind, continue challenging without fear of failure and that you will grow into strong personalities who are able to overcome any setbacks or adversities.

Today we welcome 228 new students, all of whom have the dream of “Contributing to future society”. Let us walk powerfully as one, students and faculty together, toward this goal.

Once again, congratulations, and welcome to Hiroshima University.
 
October 1, 2014

Toshimasa Asahara
President, Hiroshima University


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