Notes from the President's Office　No.7 The 150th Anniversary of An Encouragement of Learning and Keio Student Accomplishments

December 16, 2022

Professor Kohei Itoh

President, Keio University

Keio University is planning a variety of events to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Yukichi Fukuzawa publishing the first volume ofGakumon no Susume(An Encouragement of Learning). The university created aGakumon no Susume webpageto link to related initiatives such as theKeio History Museum'sFukuzawa Yukichi and Nonviolence special exhibition, the two-part exclusive interview where I sat down with Sho Sakurai to talk about the text, and the Keio Osaka City Campus’s online lecture on the significance ofAn Encouragement of Learning. The website will be updated as more events, videos, and articles come out. I hope that you all take the time to get involved and participate in these unique opportunities.

Meanwhile, Keio students have mastered how to enjoy their campus experience while keeping COVID-19 at bay. The Mita Festival, held this year from November 20-23, was an incredible success, overflowing with activity. In sports, despite Keio's showings at the Tokyo Six University baseball championship and 100th Waseda-Keio Rivalry Rugby Game yielding less than spectacular results, the Athletic Association and other student clubs have been hard at work.

One example that I have been particularly supportive of as a professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology, is the push to train competitors at the university level in programming contests. This year, out of over 3,000 universities from 111 countries considered, only 132 schools qualified from regionals to reach the45th ICPC International Collegiate Programming ContestWorld Finals. Keio University placed42nd (tied 41st)overall. Even when the Keio team had barely any experience or history, they managed to advance to the finals for the first time in 2017. This year marked the second time that Keio was represented at the international level for this competition. If they keep improving at this rate, who knows what they might accomplish in the coming years.

I am very proud of everything our students have accomplished this year and hope that you all have a very Happy New Year.