Three Minds | Hideyuki Tokuda (Dean, Graduate School of Media and Governance)
2004.10.15
As is the case every year, the graduate school's September matriculation ceremony was held on September 21 at the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) on the Mita campus. Among the graduate schools at Keio University, only the Graduate School of Media and Governance and the Graduate School of Science and Technology have a September matriculation system. For graduate schools that have adopted the semester system, this is an excellent system not only for students who graduated from their undergraduate programs in September but also for accepting international students from overseas.
On the other hand, those of us who give congratulatory addresses at the ceremony must make certain preparations, and this time, I was informed that it was the turn of the Graduate School of Media and Governance. That's right; since there are only two graduate schools involved in the September matriculation ceremony, we are given the opportunity to speak every other year. Furthermore, while we are also preparing an International Graduate Program, there was a request this time to give the speech in English, in line with the International Graduate Program that has started in the Graduate School of Science and Technology. As with any speech, it is quite a challenge to prepare one that is clever, sharp, and not boring.
This time, I spoke about the "Three Minds." I'm not sure how well the nuances came across in my clumsy English, but they are the "well-prepared mind," the "open & creative mind," and the "healthy mind."
The "well-prepared mind" is a phrase I heard from Professor Herbert A. Simon, a Nobel laureate in Economics, during my time at CMU. A researcher's brain is like a balloon; unless it is fully inflated with air, it won't burst no matter how much it is stimulated. Similarly, when researchers face a difficult problem, they will not make new discoveries or find solutions, no matter how good the hints or stimuli they receive, unless they have considered the problem very deeply and thoroughly.
The second is the "open & creative mind." In Japanese, the word "sōzō" is a homonym for both "imagination" (想像) and "creation" (創造). While they may seem different at first glance, imagination is also very important for enhancing creativity, and above all, one must have an open mind to advance in research. The third, the "healthy mind," is the most important thing for getting through your research life in graduate school. Without this healthy mind and a healthy body, good ideas will not emerge.
In the hall, I saw many graduate students with a bright sparkle in their eyes. I hope they will have a fulfilling graduate school life without losing that sparkle.
Still, giving a sharp speech is difficult.<
(Posted on: 2004/10/15)