NEWS

The 2014 Professor Emeritus Title Conferral Ceremony was held Tuesday, April 1, 2014, in the Conference Room at B-Con Plaza in Beppu City just before the Spring Entrance Ceremony.  At the ceremony former APM Professor NAKAGAMI Kenichi (currently a professor in the Graduate School of Policy Science at Ritsumeikan University), and Professors FUKUTANI Masanobu and UNETANI Takako, both of the College of International Management, were awarded the title of Professor Emeritus by APU President KORENAGA Shun in recognition of their educational and research achievements.

Professor Emeritus NAKAGAMI was one of the core members involved with creating APU’s unique education system and the concept of APU as a new university, before its establishment in 2000. From the time APU opened, up until February 2007, he contributed to the development of APU as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs. While he was heavily involved in administrative duties, he was also committed to college education, supervising both lecture courses and seminars, which were highly regarded by students as being both inspirational and motivational. He has also been a very ardent researcher and published many research papers and literary works, while also assuming the post of chairman and trustee of numerous academic committees. In addition, he acted as an advisor for local revitalization, including being involved in various projects related to water management and the environment in the towns and cities of Oita Prefecture and the Prefecture as a whole. In this way Professor NAKAGAMI continued to make a large contribution to university management from before APU even opened, while also demonstrating distinguished achievements in research, education, and local and regional contribution.

Professor Emeritus FUKUTANI joined the APU faculty in April 2001, arriving shortly after the university first opened. Before being employed as a professor by APU, Professor FUKUTANI first worked as both a Labor Division Advisor and research fellow for the production research institute in the Labor Division at the Japan Productivity Center. Here at APU, Professor FUKUTANI taught both Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management. He had a very personal teaching style that went beyond just lectures and seminars and had a reputation for teaching at off-campus locations. APU alumni who were educated in this way by Professor FUKUTANI moved beyond the student-teacher relationship and continue to maintain contact with Professor FUKUTANI post-graduation.

Professor FUKUTANI’s research has been primarily group oriented, and he definitely achieved many research accomplishments as a research coordinator. He also played a central role in acquiring Basic Research Program (A) and (B) Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research.  

He also enthusiastically involved himself in both public and private activities connected with local public entities and served on the boards of numerous advisory committees for local public organizations. The university holds Professor FUKUTANI in very high regard for all of these efforts, contributions, and teaching.

Professor Emeritus UNETANI has been employed as a professor at APU since the university’s opening in March 2000. Up until 2008, Professor UNETANI taught general Japanese courses but since then has instructed courses on Japanese teaching methodology. The majority of the students in her methodology classes are Japanese, and there are many who have already graduated and gone on to teach at universities, high schools and Japanese language schools around the world. Currently APU’s Japanese language education is garnering attention, and similarly the Japanese teaching methodology education has also come to be considered one of APU’s special features, of which Professor UNETANI has made a considerable contribution.

Professor UNETANI’s research concerns the development of teaching materials and teaching methodology. In the development of teaching materials, Professor UNETANI has made great contributions to each edition of “Nihongo no Tobira.”  Additionally, exerting herself in the development of teaching methodology resulted in receiving an award for her contributions to the progressive and advanced education of Ritsumeikan University. 

Professor UNETANI’s contributions are not limited to within the University alone.  She has served for many years as a member of advisory committees and general committees throughout Oita Prefecture and Beppu City and has subsequently received the Community Service Award of Excellence 4 years in a row.

The title of Professor Emeritus has been conferred in accordance with the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Regulations for Professors Emeriti to those who have contributed outstanding educational and / or research achievements to the University.  APU has conferred this title on 23 individuals, including this year’s awardees:  Professors Emeriti NAKAGAMI, FUKUTANI, UNETANI.