Two Wheels (or Three) | Kazunori Takashio, Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance
2023.10.03
The other day, on a Friday night in Yokohama, the academic affairs staff, former dean Kato-san, and the two assistants to the dean gathered for a wonderful time with delicious food and drinks. It was literally a farewell party for Kato-san, who retired as dean of the graduate school at the end of September (though for me, the real work is just beginning). The academic affairs staff planned the event. This was the second time our graduate school faculty and staff team had gathered for a meal. The last time we met, although many restrictions had been eased, it was still a time when we couldn't let our guard down. This time, with no need for such concerns, we joined the other adults around us who were enjoying the Friday night buzz (is that an old-fashioned term?), and we ate, drank, and had a great time.
As I mentioned in the greeting I wrote upon becoming dean, the research fields covered by the Graduate School of Media and Governance are difficult to "group" into legacy categories, and the personalities of the graduate school's faculty members are just as diverse. This means there is a lot for us, who are in charge of various operations, to do, and we have many meetings. The Graduate School Faculty Meeting is held monthly, and in addition, meetings of program chairs and the Academic Advisory Board are held twice per semester. Each time, Kato-san, Nonaka-san, myself, and the staff from the relevant department would gather in a certain conference room for in-person discussions and preliminary checks of the meeting's content. We spent a great deal of time, with extreme care, checking applications related to doctoral dissertations to ensure there were no deficiencies in the documents to be discussed.
Since we see each other so frequently, the "involvement" between us faculty and the staff naturally becomes close. Staff members are subject to transfers, so some are missed as they leave during our term as faculty, while others newly join. Nevertheless, the bond of the graduate school's faculty-staff team, cultivated over these past two years, has a depth—or rather, a unique flavor—that other teams don't have. It might be a relationship that you wouldn't see at other campuses or universities. Of course, work doesn't get done just by being on good terms. But there's nothing wrong with good teamwork. Incidentally, the three of us faculty members also get together separately for drinks in a certain area of Tokyo from time to time.
The style of research, education, and administration at SFC is often compared to the two wheels of a cart. The two wheels of research and education are, of course, students and faculty. This can be described as a style that truly embodies the "half-learning, half-teaching" principle that is the motto of Keio University. The daily life of my lab ( SFC Sociable Robots Lab. ) is also exactly half-learning, half-teaching. My own focus is on information and robotics, and my field is undoubtedly engineering (I've written a bit about whether information is engineering or science here, in the Danshitsu column of "Juku" 2014 SUMMER ). If I'm not careful, discussions tend to lean toward engineering. On the other hand, when students' (lab members') interests lie in more interdisciplinary fields, discussions can venture into areas beyond my understanding, and there are times I have to ask students to teach me. That's frustrating in its own way, so I get serious and study in secret. It's also common to connect with professors at other campuses or universities through students.
And the two wheels of campus administration are the faculty and the administrative staff. Faculty and administrative staff work as one to tackle issues and invigorate the university. For us, this is perfectly normal, but it may actually be rare for a campus to state this so clearly. After obtaining my degree, I was based at a certain national university for a while. I felt it back then, but I think the mindset that "staff are behind-the-scenes support who act on faculty instructions" is still deeply rooted among many university faculty members today. I feel this strongly when I talk to professors from other universities at academic conferences and the like. They are often surprised when I tell them, "This is how we do things at our place." When I was appointed to my previous institution, a professor who had moved to another university around the same time (and who was also a senior colleague from my former lab) said this to me.
"There's absolutely nothing to be gained from fighting with the administrative staff."
How true.
Both of my parents were administrative staff at a certain university. I lived in faculty and staff housing until I was in junior high school, and my childhood playground was the university campus (not just the racetrack). The milk we drank at home was "university milk" produced by the Faculty of Agriculture, and in the fall, various farm products would appear on our dinner table. When I ran out of chemicals (like malic acid) that came with a children's science magazine, a genuine chemical bottle would arrive at our house. We also had a mysteriously professional set of lab equipment like test tubes and beakers at home (it's pretty obvious which university this is, isn't it? (laughs)). The adults around me were either administrative staff or university faculty. Their interactions with faculty and students were sometimes topics of conversation at home. There were complaints, too. It was probably because I grew up in such an environment that becoming a university faculty member after getting my degree felt like a natural path for me. For that reason, I also understand from personal experience how demanding the work of university administration is.
Shortly after I was appointed as a faculty member at SFC, I was thrown into a special committee with several other junior faculty members to handle the grand design for a new curriculum. The dean of the undergraduate faculty always attended the meetings, and several people from academic affairs in charge of the curriculum also participated as if it were their own personal project. I spent a lot of time with the committee members on campus over several years, sometimes discussing things late into the night over dinner. Within the special committee, there was no distinction between faculty and staff; everything was on a level playing field. While being conscious of our respective responsibilities, we created the curriculum together from scratch. It's not just a pretty sentiment; faculty and administrative staff were running the campus as true equals. My admiration for this SFC style is largely due to this experience.
With a gathering of this many people, it's not just a group of friends. Faculty, staff, and students respect each other's research and work, speak their minds, and approach matters from their respective positions and with their own responsibilities. That is surely why SFC has been able to maintain a certain uniqueness, unlike other campuses, for over 30 years since its founding.
In 2024, the Graduate School of Media and Governance will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its establishment.
Kato-san, thank you for your hard work over two terms, a total of four years. And to all the faculty and staff, I look forward to working with you for the next two years. Let's make this a graduate school that we can be proud to be a part of.
P.S. Just as with my last Dean's Diary entry ( "Time for 'Involvement'" ), as I was writing this, the news of Sodashi's surprise retirement broke. But I held back this time, thinking that two times in a row would be a bit much.