On Wednesday, December 20, an event was held on Hiyoshi Campus for student representatives to deliver their final proposals to the president of Keio University for the 2023 Keio Student Conference.
The Student Conference, which completed its second iteration in December, is a component of Keio University's "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" initiatives. Students are selected from across all of Keio's undergraduate faculties to discuss and propose an overall vision, specific objectives, and attainable targets for Keio University to accomplish to make progress towards its SDGs. In the spring semester, students attended lectures from various experts in their fields in order to deepen their understanding of current events in Japan and the rest of the world as they pertain to the SDGs. In the fall semester, students then divided into subcommittees for further discussions about how they envision the university should ultimately work towards these issues, and then summarized their ideas and findings into recommendations. This event was the culmination of all their work. In addition to university students, this year's presentation also included proposals from students who belong to Keio's affiliated schools.
Student delegates delivered their proposals for Keio University in front of university officials, campus staff, and related personnel including President Kohei Itoh, Vice-President Eiji Okada, Vice-President Akiyo Okuda, and Professor Norichika Kanie from the Graduate School of Media and Governance, who served as the supervisor for the 2023 Student Conference.
The students' multifaceted presentations introduced possible actions Keio could take to address the challenges it faces on the path for Japan and the world to create a better future. Then, President Itoh took the lead in providing feedback to the students, sparking an in-depth discussion in which the students were able to dive into the issues even further and share their thoughts. The proposals covered a wide range of topics that included waste reduction, connecting with the local community, energy conservation, education, and diversity. These powerful ideas reflected a year's worth of study, as well as the insights the students reflected on through their daily lives while gaining a heightened awareness of social issues.
The proposals submitted for the 2023 Student Conference will be reviewed and discussed internally with President Itoh spearheading the deliberations. They will then be selected for their feasibility as projects for potential future implementation.
◆ News Article: The 2023 Keio SDGs Student Conference Commences
◆ News Article: Keio Holds Initiative Towards Achieving the SDGs: SDGs Conference 2023 Summer Camp