NEWS

On Friday, September 25, 2020, the Fall Entrance Ceremony was held, welcoming 462 new students from around the world. This was the first time that the ceremony was held online only, as a way to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, and new students from all over the world attended via the online conference system.

This Fall the University welcomes 372 undergraduate students (43 domestic and 329 international), 78 graduate students (1 domestic and 77 international), and 12 short-term and exchange students (10 domestic and 2 international) from 55 countries and regions. (as of September 25, 2020)

President DEGUCHI Haruaki welcomed the new entrants and offered encouragement: “Originally, I hoped that all the new students and their families could gather here in Beppu with faculty, staff, and senior students to celebrate together, but because there are still many students unable to enter Japan, we are holding this entrance ceremony online. Even under these challenging circumstances, I am very happy that we can hold a ceremony to celebrate all of you who have chosen to enroll at APU.” “First, the years when you are 18 or 19 are a very important time for developing study habits. According to modern neuroscience, your curiosity and your interest in learning are all at their peak at around 18 or 19. The foundation of learning at university is to acquire the ability to think logically. If you develop strong study habits during this time, you will be able to continue learning for the rest of your life. What's more, data shows that people who continue to learn for the rest of their life enjoy a richer life. I often say the way to learn is through people, books, and travel: Meet many people, read many books, and travel far and wide. I hope that you, too, develop a life-long love of learning. Above all else, universities are places of study.”

―――President Deguchi’s full comments can be found here.―――

SHAFIRA Nuralifa S. (College of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Indonesia) addressed the audience on behalf of current students.

HIGASHI Maki (College of Asia Pacific Studies, Japan) and CHADHA Astha (Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies, Doctoral Program, India) then spoke on behalf of the undergraduate and graduate new entrants respectively.

Speaking on behalf of the new undergraduate students, Ms. HIGASHI Maki shared her aspirations for the future: “A place like APU, where students from varied countries and regions can connect and share their own experiences directly, is necessary in our information-based society. To truly understand the state of the world, we cannot only rely on information reported by TV programs, newspapers, and social media. We must also recognize what people are actually feeling. What are the current lives of people in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Middle East like? What are they thinking? What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What do they struggle with? What can we as young people do for the world? To discover the answers to these questions, we must connect and share information with a diverse range people. That will be the first stepping stone to truly understand ‘The Real World.’”

Ms. CHADHA Astha then spoke on behalf of the new entrants to the graduate school: “APU is an institution with a lot of opportunity for those who seek to learn and pursue a coveted career. The graduate school gives students a lot of time for interacting with their professors due to a very good student teacher ratio. At the same time there are a lot of extra-curricular activities happening on campus for the creative minds! I would say, the key to sailing through the graduate school life is to strike the right balance between studies and other activities. In other words, as long as you can manage your time well, there is nothing stopping you from living your graduate school life to the fullest.” “I as an APU graduate, as well as an incoming student of 2020, feel secure and assured of my educational journey remaining unhindered even during the pandemic. I also would feel very happy to be able to help the new students in any way possible. I also urge everyone to reach out to anyone who feels isolated or stressed under the current circumstances where many parts of the world are under stressful lockdowns. I welcome everyone to this joyous journey of learning, sharing, and laughter. I look forward to the day when we all can get together on the campus and have a little celebration. I hope everyone stays in the best of health and spirits. It has never been more urging to say take care, I sincerely pray that.”

After the ceremony, a welcome event was held by the current students, in which they introduced the city of Beppu as well as APU’s clubs and circles.

To watch the Graduation Ceremony previously recorded on Youtube Live, please visit the following link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SzYD1tFl5I&t=42s