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Outreach
Dialog for future of a new university at Tokyo Tech Open Campus
"You have been appointed president of Institute of Science Tokyo (tentative), a new university, for a day. What do you want to do as president?" Tokyo Institute of Technology Laboratory for Design of Social Innovation in Global Networks (DLab) posed this question to high school students and prospective students who gathered at the Open Campus of Tokyo Tech. Together with society, DLab engages in dialogue, reflection, and design for the future society that people want. Together with various parties including young people, companies, and people from public institutions, Tokyo Tech holds initiatives for considering the ideal future. Through group work, future university students thought about what actions they would take to create the ideal university if they were appointed president for one day.
In the summer of 2023, the Open Campus was held face-to-face for the first time in four years. The event, crowded with many visitors, allowed them to experience the real Tokyo Tech and make new discoveries. Tokyo Tech is scheduled to integrate with Tokyo Medical and Dental University in the 2024 academic year and be reborn as Institute of Science Tokyo (tentative). By the time Open Campus visitors become university students, Tokyo Tech may become a new university. Both universities are now engaged in a series of dialogues and deliberations aimed at creating the new university. Under such circumstances, we planned the One-day President’s Declaration so that future university students can experience part of the process of creating the new university together.
The event was facilitated by DLab member Professor Takashi Takao of the Institute for Liberal Arts. The participants were divided into small groups and freely developed their ideas about what they would do if they were to become president of the new university for a day. They wrote down their ideas and opinions on sticky notes. President Kazuya Masu of Tokyo Tech and President Yujiro Tanaka of Tokyo Medical and Dental University also attended the event and listened enthusiastically to the participants' opinions. The participants deepened their thoughts through dialogue with the both presidents and other group members.
The participants posted the sticky notes on which they wrote their thoughts on the One-Day President's Declaration board for display. Each group narrowed down their opinions through discussions and presented their ideas respectively.
I want to create the strongest comprehensive university by integrating the Confederation of the Four Universities.
Participants sharing their thoughts in groups
Various ideas written on colorful sticky notes
Kazuya Masu, President of Tokyo Institute of Technology
The participants came up with a variety of ideas. I'm not sure if we can realize all these ideas. However, without initial ideas, nothing will ever be realized. It is important that everyone "thought about it" today. Tokyo Tech is now placing the utmost value on "the future we want to be" - what we want to do. That's why I'm thrilled that participants held discussions today on what you would do if you were to become president for a day. I believe that as we continue to think about this issue, we will create a new future.
Yujiro Tanaka, President of Tokyo Medical and Dental University
After listening to everyone's opinions, I felt that we will be able to achieve most of the ideas. I hope that the flexible thinking and ideas of participants will enable them to adapt to the new university. I also hope that the new concepts which you created together will help society adapt to the new university.
Tokyo Tech aims to integrate with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to create a new university unlike any other. For this purpose, it is important for future university students to seriously consider the ideal form of a university. Perhaps today's participants will enter the new university and meet again on campus, earnestly pursuing their ambitions and realizing their ideal future together.
Designing our future together
By gauging the needs and desires of society through dialogue, and by designing our future together, DLab aims to create a brighter, more prosperous world.
Research Center for DEsigning Social Innovation in Global Network
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Published: October 2023
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