The Fukuzawa Spirit Lives On: Impressed by SFC Students | Keiichi Yoshino (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
May 13, 2004
From 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the report session for the fiscal year 2003 "Yoshiko Aota Memorial Keio University Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care Education and Research Encouragement Fund" scholarships was held in Rooms 201 and 202 of the SFC Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care Building.
The Aota Fund was established with a 200 million yen donation to the Juku by Ms. Yoshiko Aota, an alumna of the Keio Kosei Women's Gakuin, a predecessor of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. Its purpose is to provide scholarships for students of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care to support their study and research activities abroad, and it has been in operation since the last fiscal year, 2003. Therefore, this was the first time this report session was held, and I participated with great interest.
A total of nine reports were presented by both individuals and groups. One report, titled "Improving My Hungarian," was from a student who revisited Hungary, a country they had previously visited as an exchange student, for language training. The other reports were all related to observation tours and volunteer activities in nursing and medical care overseas, with four reports on Australia/New Zealand, and one each on the Philippines, Cambodia, India, and Thailand.
It was impressive that all the presentations skillfully used tools like PowerPoint and were delivered with great passion. In other words, it seemed to me that they had magnificently embodied one of the Fukuzawa spirits: using contact with foreign cultures and civilizations as a powerful means of self-development. This impression was stronger than I had expected, and I was truly moved, reaffirming the excellence of the students in my own faculty. Ms. Yoshiko Aota, who attended the report session, also expressed a similar impression in her final remarks, and she too seemed deeply moved. This means that the fund has been used very effectively, which brings me immense joy.
Finally, one more thing, speaking frankly: some of these activities were high-risk, such as volunteering at an AIDS hospice. Furthermore, given the tense international situation after 9/11 and issues like the SARS outbreak in Southeast Asia, the Juku authorities had issued directives urging even greater caution regarding overseas travel. As someone involved, I am simply relieved that they all returned safely. (End)
(Published: 05/13/2004)