Naming SFC

2016/04/04

Image: The day SFC opened (April 5, 1990)

In April 1990, SFC opened. In the previous year, discussions within the Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of New Faculties involving all Juku had already concluded, and the new executive team, centered on the prospective deans of the two new faculties, had entered the concrete design stage. The details included various student-related matters, such as the newly introduced semester system. The management methods of the faculties by the faculty council and the creation of their regulations. Measures for the gymnasium and library, which were not completed in the first year, and hardware-related matters such as AV equipment in classrooms. Additionally, an enormous amount of time was spent discussing everything, including briefing sessions for local residents.

On traditional campuses, everything always has a name, and one is usually not conscious of it. However, here, nothing had a name. The impactful faculty names had already been decided, and they were just waiting for the results of the establishment application. However, they had to decide what to call the scattered school buildings and laboratories, what to name the school gates, what to call the two ponds, the road circling the campus, and so on. Among the discussions, these were enjoyable times that could be called a breather. Above all, what to name the campus itself.

When the "Acquisition of Fujisawa School Site" was announced, it was simply called "Fujisawa." However, once the faculty and staff themselves were to transfer and open the school, it was only natural to want to give it a wonderful name, and various opinions emerged. Since it is the Keio Fujisawa Campus, KFC. This was rejected because it would be the same as the fried chicken chain. Then, using "Shonan" for a good image, Keio Shonan Campus, or KSC. However, since Fujisawa City had been very helpful, they wanted to include "Fujisawa" in the name. Thus, SFC for Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC). However, there was also a suggestion for KUSF, as the global standard naming method is Keio University at Shonan Fujisawa, but it was rejected because it didn't sound right. In the end, SFC was chosen. Soon after, it was formally used in the pamphlet "SFC" for high school students within Keio and the "SFC Guide" distributed to new students in April, spreading within Keio. Furthermore, as the 1991 deregulation of the Standards for Establishment of Universities encouraged university reforms nationwide, SFC's various new initiatives, along with the campus name, permeated throughout the country, leading to more than 4,000 visitors annually.

Playing with backronyms for SFC was also popular. From the boom at the time, "Super Family Computer." Due to the extreme busyness of the early days, one faculty member said with a wry smile, "Severely Frustrated Campus." Also, "Share Fair Care," said to express the attitude of the new faculties, and so on.

Today, various names are given to unique university campuses across the country, but this was the pioneer of them all.

(Yuichi Tomiyama, Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration))