On starting the New Semester -- To all new and current students at the Faculty of Policy Management
Congratulations to all new students on your admission to Keio University. It is unfortunate that I'm unable to see your faces right away. However, you will surely never forget this unique start to your life as university students. Current students are also facing a very different spring to that of last year.
Society is constantly changing and history's march is relentless. Traditional science was to inquire into the unchanging, immutable, or permanent. It sought to answer questions of what is universal, and the nature of truth. However, society's constant changes mean that no one same thing ever occurs again. Even if a certain pattern is found to be present, this pattern will itself be subject to change.
Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) was established to address the problems of a changing society. The object of policy management is society, which cannot simply be replaced, and we cannot experiment on a society that is a unique, one-off occurrence. We are also unable to implement policies by a process of repeating experiments and confirming effects; we must instead formulate and implement policies through comprehensive decisions that leverage a learned discernment of the future based on limited experience and knowledge. In doing so, we will incorporate the technology and design perspectives which are the forte of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, in addition to the mental and physical wellness perspectives at which the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care excels.
Governments in each country are weighing up and implementing policies on the issues caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in attenuated circumstances. It is easy to criticize these efforts from the outside, and with hindsight. However, please imagine yourselves working at the heart of these governments, where any policy you implement could have immediate and irreparable repercussions on the lives and safety of many people. Would you be able to come to the aid of the vulnerable members of society unable to cope with change and thus left behind?
As a student of the Faculty of Policy Management, please think about what might be the best policies during this period of transitions, and how to achieve these from the vantage point of a policy maker. These are also difficult times for corporate managers and leaders of NPOs. They are confronted with the major challenges of how best to uphold their organization's mission, protect their jobs, and maintain credibility.
Moreover, policies are conveyed in words. Language too is essential to understanding and cooperating with people from around the orld. Do not abandon yourselves to glib criticism, and play your part in giving form to improved communication.
Until the situation improves, you will have to wait patiently for the opportunity to play an active part while cultivating your capacities. It is fine if you are not in an immediate position to do something. There will come a time when everyone will have to play their part. Prepare yourselves for that time.
We as faculty members will also do everything in our power. Our mission is to safely provide you with the best education in these circumstances. I ask that you all remain zealously committed to learning. For now, I will see you all in cyberspace. I look forward to working together to create a new and unprecedented campus space.
Motohiro Tsuchiya, Dean, Faculty of Policy Management