"Graduation Day" and "Graduation Announcement"

The word "graduation" carries different meanings for everyone. It is the moment of departure, marking the end of studies at Keio University and the beginning of a journey into society. This time, I would like to unravel the history of two topics surrounding this milestone: "Graduation Day" and "Graduation Announcement."

At Keio University, March 23, the day the graduation ceremony is held, was long designated as "Graduation Day." Even if the ceremony schedule shifted due to the calendar, the date recorded on the diploma was considered the official "Graduation Day." A turning point came in the early 2010s. First, in March 2010, "Graduation Day" for the School of Medicine alone was moved forward to March 10. Subsequently, citing concerns about "Graduation Day" differing by faculty, the date was changed to March 10 for all faculties starting from the 2010 academic year (with September 5 newly defined for the spring semester). Then, at the end of the first academic year this change was applied, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011. If the date had remained the traditional "23rd," it is highly likely that situations such as delays in awarding diplomas or issuing certificates would have occurred amidst the confusion.

Next, I would like to look back at the scene of "Graduation Announcement." While it is now common practice to check pass/fail status on the online academic transcript viewing screen, there were three stages leading up to this point.

The first was the era until the 2002 academic year, when there were only "paper postings." Taking Mita Campus as an example, it was a spring tradition for lists containing student ID numbers, classes, and names to be posted in the second basement floor of the West School Building. A large crowd would gather before 9:00 a.m. on the day, and as soon as the lists were posted, one could see a scene full of excitement as everyone searched for their own or their friends' names, experiencing both joy and sorrow.

The second was the era from the 2003 to 2010 academic years, which used a "combination of paper postings (with the posting location changed to the first basement floor of the West School Building from the 2007 academic year) and web lists." From the perspective of personal information protection, the posting of names was discontinued, and only student ID numbers and classes were listed, while the same lists were also made public on the web.

The turning point to the third era, which leads to the current system, was the 2011 academic year. This year, as a transitional "wait-and-see" period, the web lists were abolished. The individual confirmation method (online academic transcript viewing on the web), which had previously been released after 3:00 p.m., was moved forward. To manage server load, the release times were staggered by faculty, starting sequentially from 9:00 a.m. Paper postings were continued as usual, but in the end, there were almost no students visiting the bulletin boards, as student awareness had already shifted to the screen. Based on this result, the system was unified into the current individual confirmation method from the 2012 academic year onward.

Even in the single event of the "Graduation Announcement," the swells of the times—information technology, personal information protection, and changes in student behavior—are vividly reflected. (Hideyuki Nakamine, Administrative Director, Office of Student Services)