Nurturing People, Supporting the University: Toward the Expansion of the Fukuzawa and Koizumi Funds

2018/04/01

Keio University has 44 funds that support education, research, and medical care from a financial perspective. A fund refers to capital held continuously as a school corporation to carry out various projects essential for the development of Keio University. Using the returns (investment income) obtained from managing this capital, diverse and distinctive projects in education, research, and medical care are continuously developed. For example, "The Iji-kai (Support Group) Fund" was established for the purpose of maintaining Keio University and primarily provides scholarships to Keio students. In this way, funds have long contributed to the further enhancement of various educational, research, and medical projects through constant efforts to increase the principal without depleting it.

In the rapidly advancing global era of the 21st century, for Keio University to continue its sustainable development, it is required to further strengthen its ability to disseminate information in the international community by seeking ways for education and research at a world-standard level that responds to the times, while protecting history and tradition.

Keio University has focused on enhancing systems such as education and research scholarship programs for the purpose of promoting academic affairs from an early stage. In particular, the "Keio Gijuku Fukuzawa Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Education and Research" (hereinafter "Fukuzawa Fund") and the "Keio Gijuku Koizumi Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Education and Research" (hereinafter "Koizumi Fund") carry out various projects for the promotion of academic affairs and the development of human resources at the Juku.

Regarding Keio University's research funding, research funds called external funds, such as subsidies and grants, amount to approximately 20.2 billion yen per year (FY2016). In contrast, the university's internal funds amount to approximately 650 million yen per year. While the total amount is at a high level for a university in Japan, it accounts for less than 4% of the total research funding. This ratio of internal funds is currently quite low compared to other major universities in Japan.

Overseas, for example, Harvard University has a fund exceeding approximately 3 trillion yen, and extremely high-quality education and research are practiced through its investment income. In contrast, the total balance of funds at Keio University is only 66.2 billion yen, resulting in an overwhelming difference in the amount of support per person allocated for education and research. In such a situation, it must be said that achieving goals in education and research is extremely difficult.

Generally, competitive external funds have limited uses and short durations, making them less suitable for creative research that requires the maturation of long-term thinking. In particular, for the development of young researchers and graduate students who will lead the future, and for their engagement in free research, financial assistance based on the enhancement of internal funds, which serve as the foundation, is indispensable.

Furthermore, partly due to being selected for the "Top Type" of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Top Global University Project," international exchange among not only faculty and staff but also Keio students and students of affiliated schools has become more active. However, we also face the issues of further enhancing these activities and securing financial resources after the subsidy period ends.

Based on the current situation described above, it is an urgent task to further enhance Keio University's own funds in addition to competitive funds. Specifically, from a long-term perspective, we wish to realize even higher quality education and research by developing infrastructure that stably supports educational and research activities and providing support for various activities. President Akira Haseyama has set a goal to increase the fund balance to 100 billion yen by the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Juku. To play a part in this, we first aim to expand the balance of the "Fukuzawa Fund" and "Koizumi Fund" from the current total of 3.2 billion yen to 6 billion yen as an immediate goal, and further enhance the various activities supported by both funds.

In the future, we intend to strive to disseminate information in various fields, such as by holding symposiums, to make more people aware of the existence of these funds. To realize these business activities, the warm support and cooperation of the Keio Gijuku Shachu, parents, and the general public are absolutely necessary. We kindly ask for your support and cooperation for the future development of Keio University.

○ Fukuzawa Fund

In 1961, shortly after the 100th anniversary of the founding, the Juku was in the process of restoring facilities damaged by the war, and enhancing facilities was an urgent issue. However, during the tenure of then-President Shohei Takamura, priority was given to the idea that "the promotion of academic affairs and the nurturing of scholars is a 100-year plan for the Juku," and the fund was established primarily through donations for the purpose of promoting research and nurturing researchers.

The projects are managed by a steering committee composed of the President and members appointed by the President. The current fund balance amounts to approximately 1.8 billion yen, and projects such as overseas study programs for faculty and staff, provision of research grants, academic publishing, and subsidies for paper publication fees are being carried out.

○ Koizumi Fund

This fund was established through donations to honor the virtues and achievements of Shinzo Koizumi, the former President of Keio University who passed away in 1966, and to pass his name down to future generations.

This fund is managed by a steering committee composed of the President and members appointed by the President. Activities include the encouragement of academics and physical education for Keio students, the promotion of academic affairs for teachers and students of affiliated schools, and the Shinzo Koizumi Prize National High School Student Essay Contest. Additionally, to promote international academic exchange, projects such as subsidies for overseas travel expenses and subsidies for inviting foreign scholars are conducted. The current total amount of the fund is approximately 1.4 billion yen.

[For Individual Applications]

◎ We kindly ask for your cooperation in units of 10,000 yen per share (preferably three shares or more). Banks / Post Offices (Japan Post Bank): Please use the Keio University designated "Payment Slip (and Application Form)" and make the transfer at the counter of your nearest financial institution (bank or post office). For details, please contact the Office of Fund Raising.

Online Donation: Please apply through the Keio University Office of Fund Raising website (Office of Fund Raising).

[For Corporate/Group Applications]

◎ We kindly ask for your cooperation in units of 100,000 yen per share (preferably three shares or more).

Keio University Office of Fund Raising

Phone: 03–5427–1542 Email: kikin-box@adst.keio.ac.jp