[Message from the President] The cherry blossoms are blooming
April 3, 2024
The cherry blossoms have finally bloomed in the Central Plaza on campus. They bloomed later than usual this year, so it seems that the entrance ceremony this Saturday will be held with the cherry blossoms at full bloom. Here are 9 points I would like to share with you before the spring quarter begins.
1. TUFS Educational Affairs Related Content (2024 Spring Quarter)
The start of the new academic year is always very busy, but the TUFS Educational Affairs Related Content page is very convenient to see everything in one place.
https://www.tufs.ac.jp/english/student/lesson_course/2024tufsedu_spr.html
2. ”Japanese Teacher Training Program” Begins
The “Japanese Teacher Training Program” will begin at our university from this April. School of Japan Studies students can earn necessary credits by combining undergraduate classes with GLIP classes, while students from the School of Language and Culture Studies and the School of International and Area Studies can earn the necessary credits by taking GLIP classes.
After completing this program, students will be exempt from taking part of the national examination for registered Japanese language teachers. The national qualification system was launched in April this year in response to the lack of human resources available to teach Japanese both within Japan and around the world. Until now, many students from our university have gone on to hold jobs teaching Japanese, regardless of their department or language major, so in conjunction with the establishment of the national qualification, we decided to create this "Japanese Teacher Training Program". This will create the possibility of working not only within Japan but also overseas, so please take up the challenge. Check the link for more details (only in Japanese).
https://www.tufs.ac.jp/education/program/teacherlicense/nihongo-teacher.html
3. ”TUFS Training Program for Trans-Pacific Bridge Persons (TP-Bridge)” Begins!
A new program called TP-Bridge has begun. This is a student exchange program that connects the United States, the Philippines, and South Korea with support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. You can participate in online classes offered by our university together with partner universities in the United States and the Philippines, as well as online internships. Please check the link for more details.
https://www.tufs.ac.jp/english/tp-bridge/
4. Moodle Renewed
The Moodle system has been renewed. It is now called ‘MOE’.
When you log in for the first time, you need to use your university account to pass the GakuNin authentication (a system created by universities across the country and by the National Institute of Informatics), but from then on, it's just Moodle as usual. First year students will start by using MOE. There will be explanations in your classes, so please listen carefully.
5. 117 New ISEP Students Arrive at TUFS
This spring, 117 exchange students have arrived at our university. I heard that the buddies have also been decided (don't forget to attend the "meet and greet" on the 5th of April!). Please invite them to club activities and other activities.
Including the exchange students who started last fall, there are about 250 exchange students currently studying at our university. Including regular students, the total number of international students exceeds 700. Instead of feeling like you don't have the opportunity to interact with international students, try taking the initiative to interact with them yourself.
In addition, 16 students will be coming to Japan under the Double Degree Master’s Program (HIPS Program) with the Central European University (Vienna).
Please keep an eye out for information sessions and exchange programs for undergraduate students.
https://www.tufs.ac.jp/hips/en/program/
6. Artificial Turf Ground Completed
Construction work to resurface the sports ground with artificial turf, which was funded by donations from many people including soccer club alumnus Shigeru Taniguchi, has been completed. A commemorative ceremony was held on the 3rd of April. This marks the end of the sports facility-related work that has been going on over the past few years, including installing air conditioning in the gymnasium arena, renovating the tennis courts, and installing lighting for the sports grounds. The athletic facilities are mainly used by members of athletic clubs, but from fall, if you apply to the Student Affairs Division, you will be able to use them depending on availability, and by non-circle groups. It would be fun to hold games against other language and region major groups, so please try planning one.
7. 100 Yen Breakfast Continuing this Year
Thanks to the support of Tokyo Gaigokai, the 100 yen breakfast will again be held this year at the University Co-op on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It will begin at 8am on Tuesday the 16th of April. Mondays were changed to Tuesdays, maybe to avoid people sleeping in on Mondays(?). Please wake up early and make the most of this opportunity.
8. Halal Food Trial
Our university has many Muslim students and staff, so selling Halal food has been a longstanding topic. After much discussion, the Student Affairs Division has decided to have a Halal food truck come to the campus. The trial period will be from the 15th of April to the 19th of April. Everyone is welcome. They will continue after the trial period if the reviews are good, so please give it a try.
9. Development of Neighboring Land
For a long time, there have been rumors that the empty lot on the north side of the university will be developed into an Ito-Yokado. Recently, the ownership of the lot changed to Mitsui Fudosan and they have announced their plans to develop the land into a LaLaport within the next 5 years(!). It is still quite far off, there are still some worries to iron out, and I wonder if it will really end up happening…but I just wanted to share this update with you. Some of you will still be here in 5 years, so you might be able see the new Tama.
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That’s all for now. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you next week and enjoying the cherry blossoms together. I hope all the returning students can refresh their major language knowledge!
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Kayoko Hayashi
President of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies