For the future of society and the ongoing development of the university
ASAHARA Toshimasa President, Hiroshima University
Hiroshima University is primarily a place for scientific research where excellent human resources are developed to contribute to society and to the progress of humankind as a whole. We place great importance on having a research system that promotes fundamental, leading edge research activity and international development. To this end, we take a long term view of our educational efforts in order to ensure their constant enhancement. Drawing from the outstanding research undertaken here in the past, our present and future focus is on the three fields of peace, education, and the issue common to all humankind in this 21st century, the environment. We hope to contribute to the future of society in this way, and strive to conduct education and research of highest world standards, and convey the fruits of our labor from Hiroshima to the world.
In the recent years we have seen humankind come face to face with grave global environmental issues that touch on the very ground of our existence and, of course, our future. These include global warming, the decline of biological diversity, desertification, and pollution issues in developing countries. It is imperative that we immediately tackle these problems that engulf the international community by trying to develop the kind of human resources able to both solve them and build a sustainable future. Based on this recognition, Hiroshima University is therefore utilizing the MEXT Special Coordination Funds for Promotion of Science and Technology to establish the Global Environmental Leader Education Program for Designing a Low Carbon Society from 2008 and for the next five years.
Based on the five principles of the pursuit of peace, creation of new forms of knowledge, nurturing of well-rounded human beings, collaboration with the local, regional and international community, and continuous self-development, Hiroshima University strives to be a university open to the community – a community that, above all, values freedom and peace- and that contributes to communities locally and internationally. This program will fuse and build from the results of the University’s efforts in the field of international environmental cooperation as it surveys the multifarious global-scale issues that nations and communities must face. It aims to sustainably bring forth the kind of global environmental leaders who can devise strategic solutions to those issues. These unique aims and principles synchronize with the principles of Hiroshima University and with the vision it has of its future. This program will form the core of the university’s educational, research-related, and social contributions. Drawing on support both internally and externally, we will implement this program in a way that engages all disciplines in our quest to develop the next generation of global environmental leaders.
I therefore seek your guidance and support in this endeavor.
