Happy New Year from the Jikei Group of Colleges.

 

The year 2013 started with my discovery of the book “Makers: The New Industrial Revolution,” written by Chris Anderson. Following on from the IT revolution, the advent of the 3D printer is bringing about a new industrial revolution of its own. In Japan too, one independent engineer, using a design application on the web, made a design with the aid of CAD and produced a trial version with a 3D printer. By forming a network with multiple medium- and small-sized specialist makers, that product is now being launched on the market. So even without having his own large source of capital or manufacturing facilities, he has been able to create a manufactured product for the marketplace. The way people work is in the process of changing dramatically. To keep up with the ever-advancing level of technology, skills, and knowledge, people need to adopt the approach of lifelong study. This fact carries a very important meaning for the Jikei Group of Colleges, as we provide professional education nurturing specialists. If industry and society is undergoing change, then we on the side who provide education must do some self-analysis and transform ourselves so that we can offer the very highest level of education.

 

The Jikei Group will also open 5 new colleges in April of 2014: Akahori College of Nutrition, Osaka College of ECO & Animals, Tokyo Wedding College, Nagoya School of Music, and Fukuoka Hospitality and Bridal College.

 

Also, early last year, we made the decision to purchase The Symphony Hall in Osaka, which has the longest history and tradition of any concert hall devoted to classical music. This is the concert hall that Herbert von Karajan praised as having “the best acoustics in the world” when he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra there in 1984. I had my own suspicion that culture and art were being underrated in this modern world which places the highest value on efficiency. It is culture and art that adds splendid color to our daily life and gives it meaning. Our colleges too function thanks to the support of the people in the local community. Purchasing The Symphony Hall was one thing our Jikei Group of Colleges could do for the benefit of society and the people making up that society, and this thought was the key factor that inspired us to boldly go ahead with the purchase.

 

The 2014 New Year’s Ceremony for the Jikei Group was held at the Symphony Hall on January 5. Following the official ceremony, the hall’s had its inaugural concert under Jikei Group management .

 

We will host the Global Educators Meeting for the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics in 2014 as well. As the host institution for the meeting, we are looking forward to the opportunity to meet and talk with our overseas partner institutions and participating educational institutions as we undertake preparations and assume our role in hosting the meeting.

 

In the coming year, it is our sincere intention to play our role as an educational institution in order to build a society in which young people can fulfill their dreams as professionals.

 

Kunihiko Ukifune

Chairperson

The Jikei Group of Colleges