NEWS

BEPPU – In an announcement on February 26, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) selected APU to be a part of the Private University Branding Project in the category of Type B: International Development.* APU is one of 20 universities selected this year.

Support from MEXT will help APU implement a program of research, training, and actualization of Inclusive Leadership that utilizes APU’s diverse community of students from nearly 90 countries and regions across the world. The overall aim of the initiative is to develop solutions to issues in today’s globalized society. The new program, tentatively titled the Center for Inclusive Leadership (CIL), will promote theoretical research, implementation, and teaching methods in the field of Inclusive Leadership.

What is Inclusive Leadership?

Global issues such as growing wealth inequality and conflict are intersecting with diversifying beliefs about age, race, nationality, gender, sexuality, and disability. APU defines Inclusive Leaders as members of a community who can create an inclusive environment and utilize the power of diversity to solve the issues faced by a globalizing society.

CIL Director Toshitsugu Otake had this to say about the program: “Through the support of the Private University Branding Project, CIL will focus on Inclusive Leadership not only in theoretical terms, it will include practical application and education. I believe that APU will be recognized as an institution that can offer solutions to the problems facing the world. We will partner with national and global scholars, business leaders, educational institutions, and certification organizations to create a global basis of research on Inclusive Leadership.

President Deguchi is offering his full support for the program, stating that “I am extremely pleased to see APU selected by MEXT for this project. I believe this will be a significant boost to the education and research of Inclusive Leadership that will support the APU2030 Vision: APU graduates possess the power to change the world. The most important aspect of this project is that our students and faculty prioritize the needs of local stakeholders here in Oita Prefecture.

By enhancing APU’s local and global reputation, we will be better able to contribute to national and worldwide development while empowering local stakeholders in Beppu and Oita. I will be giving concrete directions for progression and doing my utmost to help this program reach its objectives.

*Started in 2016, MEXT’s Private University Branding Project works through presidential leadership to promote research as the center of strengthening a private university’s institutional capabilities. Since its inception, the program has included 120 academic organizations. This selection is part of the 2018 fiscal year.

For more information on the Center for Inclusive Leadership, please see the link below:

For more information about the 2018 Projects, you can visit MEXT’s website at the URL below (link available in Japanese only):