Participants of the “Discussing the Future of ICU” event. The student organizer, Yuki Moritani, is second from left in the front row.
Yuki Moritani, a fourth-year student at ICU who will graduate this month, planned an event with three of his friends to discuss ICU’s philosophy, history and future. The event titled “Discussing the Future of ICU” was held on Tuesday, February 26th in the seminar room of the Momi and Maple dormitories. Yuki applied for the JICUF Student Support Fund last fall to cover the expenses, and was awarded 75,000 yen.
From L to R: Organizers Hikari Ikeda, Ryotaro Miura, Michinori Suzuki and Yuki Moritani
When he was in his third year at ICU, Yuki felt that he wanted to do something to give back to ICU before graduation. In particular, he wanted to work on a project that would benefit the students who would continue to study at ICU. He invited his close friends Michinori Suzuki, Ryotaro Miura and Hikari Ikeda, whom he felt “had interesting personalities and values” to plan the event with him.
The two-and-a-half-hour event began with opening remarks by President Junko Hibiya. Emeritus Professor William Steele lectured about ICU’s history, which was followed by Yuki’s own presentation raising questions about the current state of ICU. After a coffee break, a workshop was held to discuss the future of ICU, and the event ended with closing remarks by Yuki.
Below is a report from Yuki.
Not only students, but also professors, officers of the board of trustees, and staff joined our event. About 20 people from different backgrounds gathered and enjoyed considering and discussing the future of ICU. The idea of the “ICU family” is very important. Every member of ICU played an important role in creating the university since its foundation. We are very proud of succeeding in creating an event that reflects this inclusive philosophy of ICU, which unfortunately seems to be practiced less recently. At the Open Campus on 16 March 2019, we will be holding sessions for high school students where they can learn about ICU. We are looking forward to having a discussion with the new generation on the future of ICU. We started this project more than a year ago, to show our gratitude to ICU before graduation. Studying philosophy and the history of ICU, planning the event, trying to deliver what I have learned about the origin and the history of the university, and revisiting ICU today was a great challenge for us. It was as if we were working on our second senior theses. To achieve the goal, we received tons of support. We wish to express gratitude to all the support, from the bottom of our hearts.
After graduating from ICU, Yuki plans to enroll in the Global Governance Program in the School of International and Public Policy at Hitotsubashi University.
Congratulations on your graduation, Yuki! We wish you the best for your future.
