Small Gaps, Big Gaps | Hideyuki Tokuda (Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies)

2009.04.12

On March 23, the undergraduate commencement ceremony was held at Hiyoshi Campus, and many Keio students graduated, becoming new Keio University alumni. Usually, it's hard to quiet the venue at the Commemorative Hall just before the ceremony begins, but this year, it became quiet in an instant, which was surprising. I wonder if this reflects the tough economic times. Or perhaps they are bracing themselves for the rough seas of society they are about to face. After the ceremony, students from the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies remained in the Commemorative Hall, where diplomas were once again awarded to each of them individually. I wish I, as the dean, could have handed the diploma to each and every student.

On April 3, the undergraduate entrance ceremony was successfully held at Hiyoshi Campus, welcoming 449 new students to the Faculty of Policy Management and 451 to the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. This year, in addition to the new students, senior Keio University alumni celebrating their 50th anniversary of graduation also participated, and it was impressive to see how youthful many of them were. The cherry blossoms next to the Commemorative Hall were in full bloom, and after the ceremony, many people were taking commemorative photos. Afterward, I moved to Mita Campus to attend a curriculum committee meeting for the Advanced ITSP Program from 6:00 p.m. It was a long day.

Now, regarding the topic of moments when I feel a generation gap, as I interact with young students every day, there are quite a few such moments. One small gap I notice is how students use their mobile phones. They type incredibly fast. I consider myself part of the keyboard generation, having used workstations and PCs from their earliest days, but I simply can't keep up with their speed. It's even more surprising to hear that some people write novels and even papers on their mobile phones.

A rather large gap I feel is the way fourth-year undergraduate students travel to Asia, Europe, or the US for their graduation trips as casually as if they were traveling domestically. When I was a fourth-year undergraduate around 1975, the exchange rate was still 360 yen to the US dollar, and it wasn't an era where one could casually take a two or three-day trip abroad. I could never have imagined a time when the yen would become this strong. When I studied abroad in Canada, the Canadian dollar was stronger than the US dollar, and one dollar was about 300 yen. On a weekend morning, going out for brunch with friends at a restaurant would cost $3.50 (1,050 yen). Considering that a bowl of ramen cost about 150 to 200 yen back then, it was a real shock.

Now that mobility for "travel" abroad has increased so much, I hope they will also take on the challenge of working overseas and increase their mobility in terms of international "careers" as well.

(Date of publication: 2009/04/12)