Shinichi Watanabe, president of Daido University, was appointed in April 2023. Just as I obtained my Ph.D. through my research on kotatsu, I believe that architecture encompasses everything related to human life and the living environment, such as heat and light. We asked about Daido University, which has emphasized its relationship with industry since its founding in 4, and about the Faculty of Architecture, which will be newly established in 1964.
Cultivating human resources who can play an active role in companies based on the principle of practical learning
The university was established in 1964 in response to strong requests from 31 industrial companies in the Chubu region.From this background, the founding spirit is "cultivating human resources who meet the demands of industry and society", and the educational philosophy is "practical learning".Even today, at the Motor Research Center, which was established with a donation from Daido Steel Co., Ltd., we are educating students through joint research, developing human resources who can play an active role in companies, and training engineers.
About half of the faculty members of the 80 specialized departments are practitioners who have worked in the private sector, creating a system that enables the development of practical education and research.Of course, we are not overly focused on practical education.The research of each faculty member is diverse, and we focus not only on research that is immediately useful in society, but also on basic research.Since the students who enter the university have a wide variety of interests, I teach them to work on what they want to do without being too caught up in practical studies.
In 2020, we formulated the action guideline "DAIDO VISION 2030" to respond to the rapid changes in society. It is a summary of discussions among faculty and staff on what Daido University should be in 2030, what kind of human resources we should develop for that, and what kind of learning we should provide.The slogan is, "Change yourself, change the future."
I tell students who enter our university that they should start by changing themselves, even if only a little, and that they should change themselves during their four years at university.Because that should change not only my future, but also the future of the world.The same is true for faculty and staff members, and I want them to lead to changes in the future of students, the future of the university, and the future of society by changing themselves.
The situation surrounding universities is becoming more severe, and maintaining the status quo will not be enough.I would like to proceed with university reform step by step, starting with what I can do, such as actively challenging things that I think are even slightly better for students.
