President's Address: AY 2026 Entrance Ceremony for Graduate School Students

To all our new students, congratulations on your admission to Gifu University.

We are extremely pleased to have 1,356 new undergraduate students and 700 graduate students join us this year. I am overjoyed to share this new beginning with all of you as we embark on a new chapter in our lives.

You have triumphed over the adversity of the COVID-19 pandemic and, amidst global and historic challenges such as climate change and international conflicts, you have harnessed your great resilience and steadfastly pursued your aspirations, culminating in your successful admission to the Graduate School of Gifu University. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to everyone, including your guardians and supervisors, who have supported you every step of the way.

Gifu University has established a well‑developed framework for graduate education. In 2025, the Graduate School of Social Systems Management was inaugurated, bringing our total number of graduate schools to nine, including two united graduate schools for which Gifu University we serve as the core institution, as well as one jointly established graduate school. Among these, the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, which offers master's degree programs, provides interdisciplinary education that integrates engineering with applied biological sciences, and is also distinguished by its incorporation of design thinking into the learning process. We believe that this graduate school will form a central pillar of the university.

In addition, the Professional Degree Program offered by the Graduate School of Education and the Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, as well as the joint graduate school programs for PhD students, showcase our distinctive graduate education.

Amongst those present today are newly enrolled students at the United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences, our collaboration with Gifu Pharmaceutical University. Also contributing to the diverse mix here are new working adult students in the Professional Degree Program.

We are honored to welcome President HARA Hideaki of Gifu Pharmaceutical University to this ceremony, to wish you the best in your exploration of new academic goals and endeavors.

As previously, we will conduct the entrance ceremony in two parts, celebrating the admissions of undergraduate students and graduate students separately.

Over the past several years, society has undergone profound changes at an unprecedented pace. Generative artificial intelligence has spread rapidly, the challenges of climate change have grown ever more severe, and instability in the international landscape appears only to worsen. Each of these issues has a deep and direct bearing on the lives of every one of us, as well as on the future that lies ahead for you.

Gifu University shares the mission of the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS), "Make New Standards for the Public." Guided by our founding philosophy of "Learning, Exploring, and Contributing," we have steadily advanced our vision of becoming a core hub for regional revitalization--one that strategically promotes regional co-creation, outstanding research, innovation, and education thereby contributing to solving the challenges facing both our local communities and humankind as a whole.

What Gifu University strives to achieve is a vibrant environment in which people from diverse backgrounds work together across the boundaries of faculties and organizations, generating new knowledge and ideas and applying them for the benefit of society. Creating and sustaining such a positive and forward‑looking cycle is one of the university's primal objectives.

These efforts have led to notable advancements in research and education. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Gifu University has made remarkable gains since 2019. Moreover, in the performance-based allocation of government grants, we rank among the very top institutions. Gifu University's initiatives in education, research, and social engagement have received high acclaim, and these achievements stand as clear testimony to the steady and substantial advancement of the educational environment in Gifu University.

As a member of THERS, Gifu University has further enriched its educational programs through close collaboration with Nagoya University. Within the framework of the Campus-Wide Core Curriculum, students are able to study subjects related to mathematical and data science, and artificial intelligence, as well as English language education, through jointly offered courses and a mutually recognized credit transfer system in partnership with Nagoya University.

I would also like to add that due to the relentless efforts of all involved, we have been able to offer waivers for university tuition and financial support to PhD students. These initiatives are designed to allow students to advance to doctoral courses and focus on their academic pursuits and objectives.

The implementation of the innovative 'Student Status System' enables students to assess their own progress and accomplishments. It ensures transparency and accessibility of students' academic achievements for anyone eligible.

At Gifu University, we have been advancing a range of reforms aimed at enhancing the quality and substance of our education. These efforts include a comprehensive review of teacher training within the Faculty of Education, the establishment of the Graduate School of Social Systems Management, the strengthening of human resource development in information‑related fields within the Faculty of Engineering, and the reorganization of the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences. Through these initiatives, we are steadily working to cultivate the individuals who will support and shape the society of the future.

Gifu University has also been making steady progress in the field of research. Across a wide range of disciplines, our scholars are conducting research with global reach, including studies in glycoscience that seek to elucidate the mechanisms of life, the "One Medicine" initiative that brings together expertise from medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary science, and collaborative research with industry in the field of aerospace engineering. In addition, the university has been selected to participate in national projects related to environmental and energy issues, such as hydrogen energy and carbon dioxide recycling, thereby contributing to the resolution of global challenges.

In the area of regional engagement, tangible progress has been made in building a firm foundation for the university and the local community to shape the future together. Through initiatives such as the establishment of the Promotion of Regional Collaboration, the launch of the Gifu University Entrepreneurs' Association¹, and the strengthening of partnerships with Gifu Prefecture, our collaboration with the region has steadily taken concrete form.

At Gifu University, a significant number of international students and researchers are studying and engaging in research activities on campus. To date, Gifu University has 51 foreign partner universities in countries ranging across Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania. Various faculties offer comprehensive support to students who wish to study abroad whilst at university. In addition, our Joint Degree Program (four international master's and PhD programs) with the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and the National University of Malaysia was launched in April 2019 to accelerate the internationalization and enhancement of educational and research capabilities among the three universities.

Japanese society now calls for an ever-deeper engagement with the global community. To meet this need, exchanges must not be one-sided, but truly mutual and interactive. With Gifu University as your foundation, I sincerely hope that you will actively reach out to the wider world and cultivate rich global experience.

In April 2025, the Tokai Kanjo Expressway Gifu Interchange opened near Gifu University. We anticipate that this development will further expedite our university's emergence as a hub for academic research, life sciences, and manufacturing innovation, thereby contributing to the prosperity of our region.

At present, Gifu University is embarking on a new challenge: the pursuit of an innovative university model envisioned as a "university, committing to social implementation through co-creation." This initiative transcends disciplinary boundaries and seeks both to address societal challenges and to generate new values, marking a profound transformation for the university. In this crucial period, you are indispensable partners, walking this path of change with us and helping to shape the university's enduring identity.

Throughout your undergraduate years, you have challenged yourselves in many areas of learning, refined your expertise, and engaged in rigorous dialogue with your mentors and peers as you worked toward solving complex problems.

The qualities you have cultivated through this processーthe capacity to continue learning, the flexibility to engage constructively with change, and an attitude of respect for diverse valuesーcarry greater significance than ever in an age of considerable social turmoil. As you now step up your studies to the next level as graduate students, I sincerely hope that you will continue to choose and shape your own future with confidence and without fear.

As this significant point in your lives, there is a message that I would like you to grasp deeply in your heart. They are the words "Art, Science, Humanity." These are the words that I myself have long cherished through more than four decades of experience as a clinician and as a surgeon. "Art" does not refer merely to techniques or skills. It signifies the ability to view matters from multiple perspectives, to create, and to generate new values.

Underlying this is Scienceーthe practice of thinking rigorously and scientifically, and of pursuing truth with intellectual integrity. And above all, what is essential for us as human beings and as members of society is Humanity: the capacity to care for others with genuine compassion, to respect diverse values, and to engage with society sincerely and responsibly.

What Gifu University has cherished throughout its long history is not only the pursuit of deep learning within one's chosen field of specialization, but also the cultivation of this kind of comprehensive capacity as a human being. Your university life will not be confined to classrooms and laboratories alone. It is also a time to devote yourselves to scholarship, to engage in dialogue with your peers, to connect with the local community and society at large, and, at times, to experience uncertainty and failure as you develop your own inner compass. Each of these experiences, taken together, will serve to refine and enrich your own Art, Science, and Humanity.

On this beautiful campus of Gifu University, embraced by clear streams and lush greenery, I invite you to learn freely and expansively, to strengthen both mind and body, to encounter many lifelong friends, and to engage in conversations that explore the meaning of life itself. With the words "Art, Science, Humanity" firmly engraved in your hearts, I sincerely hope that, through your studies at Gifu University, you will greatly broaden your horizons and unlock the full potential that lies within you.

On behalf of all our faculty members and staff, I pledge that we are fully committed to supporting you so that your learning at Gifu University may be both meaningful and fulfilling.

With my heartfelt hope that each and every one of you will enjoy a campus life beginning today that is rich in promise and abundant in achievement, I hereby conclude my address as President of the University.

April 7, 2026
YOSHIDA Kazuhiro
President, Gifu University
Tokai National Higher Education and Research System