On the Renewal of the Official Website as the New "Face of Keio University"

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Keio University alumni, faculty, staff, and Keio students for their continued understanding and cooperation in the public relations activities of Keio University.

Keio University has completely renovated its official website and launched it on April 6. In this article, as the Vice-President in charge of public relations, I would like to introduce the intentions behind this renewal and the ideal state of information dissemination for the Juku in the digital age.

With the rapid digitalization of society and the diversification of information distribution channels, the role of university websites has transformed significantly. While they once primarily served as "bulletin boards" for posting official information, they are now the first point of contact for stakeholders worldwide and the most important medium for communicating our philosophy and current state—in other words, the "face of Keio University."

The old site accumulated information over many years and was rich in content. On the other hand, as the volume of information grew, we received feedback such as "it's hard to find what I'm looking for" or "there are so many related sites that it's confusing." Therefore, in this renewal, we shifted our thinking from "information dissemination" based on the provider's convenience to "usability and clarity" from the viewer's perspective, setting the improvement of the user experience as our primary goal.

The renewal is based on three main pillars.

First is the improvement of design and accessibility to support diverse users. We have fundamentally reorganized the information structure and navigation so that prospective students, Keio students, Keio University alumni, researchers, faculty, staff, and members of the local community can reach their goals without getting lost. In addition, in line with the current trend where access from smartphones and tablets is mainstream, we have designed the site for comfortable viewing on all devices and paid close attention to web accessibility so that everyone can access information equally.

Second is the visualization of the "living Juku." The activities of the Juku are updated daily, including the front lines of research that inherit Yukichi Fukuzawa's spirit of "jitsugaku (science)," the learning and activities of Keio students from diverse backgrounds, and medical and social contributions. On the new site, to multi-dimensionally convey these dynamic charms, we have organized, integrated, and reconstructed Keio-related sites and content that were previously dispersed across departments such as undergraduate faculties from the viewer's perspective. By creating a system that can mutually present related information on each page, the structure allows users to naturally encounter and deepen their understanding of Keio's diverse initiatives according to their interests. Furthermore, we have launched new projects: "Keio LIFE," where the student editorial department shares daily life from a student's perspective, and "Keio FUTURE," which explores the future envisioned by Keio University through the front lines of knowledge from faculty and researchers in collaboration with the Asahi Shimbun. By organically connecting scattered information, we aim to create a space where the outline of the entire Juku is conveyed more clearly.

Third is the strengthening of global communication capabilities. For the Juku, which fosters leaders active on the world stage, providing substantial information to overseas audiences is an urgent task. While the old site had limitations with many pages available only in Japanese, this renewal has accelerated multilingualization by utilizing AI translation support technology. We are also reviewing expressions and structures to ensure that the content is not just a literal translation but is easy for international students and researchers to understand and conveys the appeal of studying and researching at the Juku.

In "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," Yukichi Fukuzawa explained the importance of constantly encountering new knowledge and continuing to think for oneself. We want the new website to be not just a "deliverable" completed upon release, but a "living platform" that continues to grow through repeated improvements based on changes in society, technological progress, and feedback from all users.

We hope that this new official website will become a source of pride for Keio students, a place for Keio University alumni to confirm their connection with the Juku, and a guidepost for the young people who will lead the future of the Juku. We will further strengthen the spirit of "independence and self-respect" and the bonds of "Keio Gijuku Shachu" through the modern network of digital technology and share them with the world.

In closing, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those involved who agreed to integrate into the same web platform for this renewal and provided great effort from the design consideration stage. I would be most grateful if readers would take a look at the new official website and provide their candid opinions. In fiscal year 2026, we will continue to rebuild the websites for Research Centers and Institutes and affiliated schools. We ask for your continued support and encouragement for Keio University's public relations activities.