Regional Meeting for Families of Keio Students

May 31, 2019

Image: FY2016 "Regional Meeting for Families of Keio Students" (Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture)

Keio University has approximately 29,000 undergraduate students, about one-third of whom come from regions outside the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa). Many live away from home and lead unfamiliar lives in the city. It is easy to imagine the concern of parents and families left in their hometowns. It is natural to wonder if they are leading a safe and peaceful student life, what kind of educational activities are being conducted at the university where their sons and daughters study, and to have endless worries about employment and career paths after graduation.

The "Parents' Meeting" began in 1963 (Showa 38). At that time, as the scale of the university was rapidly expanding, it was likely thought that better communication between Keio University and the families of Keio students needed to be fostered. Public relations media connecting Keio University with students and guarantors (guardians), such as "Juku" (same year) and "Keio University Report" (1966), were also launched around this time (these were later integrated into "Juku"). Since then, the term "fukei" (parents/guardians) has become obsolete, and the name of the meeting has changed from "Regional Consultative Meeting" to "Keio Student Family Consultative Meeting" and finally to "Regional Meeting for Families of Keio Students." Even though the name has changed, the purpose remains the same: to visit local areas and provide direct explanations about the current state of Keio University, studies, student life, and career paths, making the university feel more accessible.

From the university side, officials such as Vice-Presidents and Deans, as well as staff in charge of academic affairs, student life support, and career services, travel to prefectures across the country. On the day of the meeting, officials give a lecture-style talk about the current state of Keio University. This is followed by explanations from staff regarding Keio students' studies, student life, and welfare, and finally, career paths. The interest of families is, now as in the past, focused on career paths. The problem was that it was extremely difficult to provide uniform explanations in a short time for Keio students belonging to such a diverse range of faculties, whether regarding studies or employment. In such a situation, the skill of the speaker is tested in how to talk so that families feel "I'm glad I came today" when they leave. In organizing these events, we ask for various forms of cooperation from the local Mita-kai, and sometimes we receive excellent greetings from Mita-kai members to the families from a perspective different from that of university faculty and staff. This likely provides a flavor not found in similar events at other universities.

The timing of the event is set from late May to early July, taking into account the effects of typhoons and the rainy season. Initially, it was held once every four years for each prefecture, but there was naturally a strong demand to increase the frequency, and it is now held once every two years. Hotels in prefectural capitals are mainly used as venues, but many staff members fondly remember renting places like community centers to save costs and setting them up while sweating.

(Bunji Kuriya, Former Administrative Director of the Office of Student Services)