Parents Won't Cry Anymore | Kenji Kumasaka (Dean, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies)

2005.06.17

In the June 13 issue of *AERA*, SFC was featured in the third installment of a series on "Universities That Take Good Care of Their Students." Following the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, for some reason, this installment singled out Keio SFC specifically, not just Keio University, and was boldly titled, "A University That Makes Parents Cry, A Risky Future." The article highlighted Professor Kokuryo's research project, praising it as a kind of amazing education that no other university offers. With prominent alumni participating almost weekly to show students the real world firsthand, it's no wonder it received such high praise. I read it and nodded in agreement.

But, as expected, *AERA* didn't stop there. It also made sure to voice a complaint. The article claimed that because SFC nurtures students who aim to start ventures, it makes parents cry. The reasoning was that the success rate for ventures is at most 1%, with the rest all being failures. Considering this, if their children, who they worked so hard to get into Keio, face such a risky future, their parents must surely be crying.

But is that really the case? Do parents still believe that their children will be happy if they get a job at an established major corporation? Do they genuinely think that joining a large company means there's no such thing as a risky future? If so, that itself is the problem.

Furthermore, when it comes to the topic of employment, the article suddenly attacks SFC. A sub-headline reads, "Its employment rate is lackluster." As evidence, it attacks with numbers, stating that the gap is large because the Faculty of Policy Management's rate is 66.5% and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies' is 65.09%, while the Faculty of Economics at the Mita Campus in Minato-ku, Tokyo, is 74.11% and the Faculty of Business and Commerce is 73.06%. The article has a nuance that suggests, "Mita students properly enter major corporations, so their parents are relieved, but SFC students are crazy about risky ventures, and look, in fact, their employment rate is also low." Is that really true?

So, I created the table below.

*Data on employment and further education for the 2003 academic year.

*Other (c): Graduates not seeking employment. The numbers in parentheses ( ) indicate those preparing for certification exams.

*<%>: The percentage of Employed (a) and Continuing Education (b) within the subtotal. This is the official employment and continuing education rate of Keio University.

*Employment rate according to *AERA*: Employed (a) / (Graduates (d) - Continuing Education (b)).

Looking at this table, *AERA*'s claim that "the gap is large" is merely a matter of SFC having twice as many students who did not submit their career path forms compared to the two faculties at Mita. It's pathetic to be told our employment rate is lackluster for such a reason. It makes me feel gloomy, thinking, "Just submit your career path forms properly before you graduate."

Moreover, if you look closely, the combined percentage of those employed and those continuing their education is around 80% for all faculties, so *AERA*'s claim is strange. And within the "Other" (not seeking employment) category, there's a hidden reality that they are not simply NEETs. That is, the two faculties at Mita have an overwhelmingly higher percentage of students preparing for certification exams compared to SFC, with about 70% of those not seeking employment challenging exams for qualifications like Certified Public Accountant. This is what makes Mita, Mita. These graduates who do not seek employment but prepare for certification exams (Economics: 175 <72%>, Business and Commerce: 148 <72%>) are taking risks to gain an even more advantageous position within the existing industrial structure. At SFC, on the other hand, in contrast to Mita, they are not preparing for certification exams. Statistically, they fall into the exact same category as NEETs (Policy Management: 54 <60%>, Environment and Information Studies: 69 <80%>), but this group includes many students planning to attend universities abroad to take on great opportunities. They are prepared for a risky future and are trying to spread their wings into a world that transcends the structure of existing Japanese society.

Looking at the data in detail like this, how can anyone say the employment rate is lackluster? SFC students are challenging a new era, each with their own aspirations for the future. Among them, graduates aspiring to start ventures are also firmly categorizing themselves as "employed!" and are running toward the realization of their respective dreams. And someday, not too far in the future, I hope they will break down these existing categories and create a completely different, real, alternative world. That is the social mission of SFC ventures. If they do, parents won't cry anymore.

(Date of publication: 2005/06/17)

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