DIVERSITY ON CAMPUS PREPARES STUDENTS FOR THE REAL WORLD, SAYS JF OBERLIN UNIVERSITY
Staying true to the founding ideal of Japanese missionary Reverend Yasuzo Shimizu, JF Oberlin University (JFOU) redefines international education in Japan while responding to society’s needs and demands.
Celebrating its centennial last year, the university put a spotlight on campus diversity.
“We are creating a university where people coming from different regions of the world all together study in one space because when our founder started the school in China, he had students not only from China, but also from Korea and Japan,” says Dr Hiroaki Hatayama, president.
“It was international from the very start, and we want to keep it that way.”
JFOU launched its College of Aviation Management in April 2020 to bridge the global shortage of aviation industry professionals. Its programme combines a bachelor’s degree and professional certification in the United States and Japan within four years. Responding to the needs of Asia’s ageing populations, JFOU is likewise expanding its graduate programme in gerontology through collaborations with foreign universities, government agencies and industry players based in Tokyo, which is central to research and development in the field.
To give performing and visual arts students more creative space, JFOU moved their school in April 2020 to a sprawling campus with scenic views. Meanwhile, its Shinjuku campus became a dedicated facility for business management studies in April 2019.
“We want to expand our professional schools according to society’s needs and demands, thus enabling students to perform well in a globally oriented environment,” Hatayama says. Offering Japanese, English and Mandarin instruction, JFOU attracts more than 800 foreign students annually. It aims to grow its range of double-degree and exchange programmes through academia-industry collaborations and partnerships with more universities around the world. JFOU has offices in China, the US and Mongolia. “Students coming from different countries always have different values, and our programmes allow them to complete courses according to their strengths, creativity and imagination. That becomes our strength,” Hatayama says.