[Message from the President] Summer semester �C here we come!

July 10, 2024

The rainy season has not yet ended, but it is already so hot. I know it must be tough preparing for exams and Active Learning in this weather, but the long, sunny summer quarter will be yours to enjoy once you are done. I am sure you are making various plans for summer, so please make the most of it. Now, at the end of the spring quarter, I would like to make seven announcements.

(1) Please cooperate with the spring quarter survey!

The TUFS Academic Support Center Spring Quarter survey is now underway. Please let us know your thoughts.

https://www.tufs.ac.jp/documents/student/NEWS/education/tafusapo_240705_1.pdf

(2) Top 10 Short Visits this year!

Over 250 students will be participating in the Summer Short Visit program this year. The top 10 study abroad destinations are: University College Cork (Ireland), University of Regina (Canada), the University of Auckland (New Zealand), University of Munich (Germany), School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (UK), University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland), University of Vienna (Austria), Yonsei University (Korea), Ankara University (Turkey), and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Kazakhstan). The inclusion of Poland, Turkey, and Kazakhstan alongside English-speaking countries reflects our university of foreign studies.

Please keep in touch with the Tobita Center, take care and see the world.

(3) Departing and Arriving Study Abroad Students

282 students will depart for their long-term study abroad by this fall. I guess many students will leave during the summer, so it��s almost time to depart. Please take care of yourself and try your best. Please keep in touch with the Tobita Center, too.

In exchange for the students who are departing, 223 exchange students will be coming to Japan from partner universities abroad for the fall quarter starting in October. Recruitment of buddies to support international students will start soon (registration deadline is August 19). This is an activity where you can make friends with international students so we hope you will participate.

(4) Summer Construction Schedule

There are several construction projects scheduled throughout the summer quarter. First, the most noticeable is that 9 more private study booths (TUFS Boxes) will be added in the Research and Lecture Building. I don't think this will be enough, but I hope it will help alleviate some of the congestion. Two water fountains will also be added, so hopefully you won��t have to wait in line for too long. In areas that are less visible, the classroom facilities on the first and second floors of the Research and Lecture Building will undergo major changes. Projectors will be improved, audio will be digitized and cleaner, and there will be cameras on the ceiling. A classroom will also be added on the far-left side of the first floor of the JLC building, and a small, tiered classroom will be installed in the Research and Lecture Building classroom 205. Solar panels will be added to the roof of the Agora Global building, and the rooftop water tank will be renewed. Energy-saving measures are also being taken, including the use of LED lighting on campus. I can already hear people saying, ��First add air conditioning to the Galleria in the Research and Lecture Building!��, but as more senior students are already aware, that is structurally impossible (crying). I hope you will understand.

So, please look forward to fall, as a lot of construction work will be completed over the hot summer months.

(5) Announcement about summer quarter classes

Registration for summer quarter classes is open until the end of this week, but one more class has been announced. This is a class where you will learn about the standardization of various rules across industries through a series of lectures by experts in various industries. This information will be essential to know in order to be active in society, regardless of your background in the humanities or sciences. In addition to TUAT, students from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, the University of Electro-Communications, and Tokyo Gakugei University will also participate. This year, the program will be held from Monday, September 9 to Friday, September 13 at TUAT's Koganei Campus. Detailed information will be available soon on the Academic Affairs Information System. Please take the course if you can.

(6) Special lunch box sales on the 11th and 15th

The Halal bento sales started out well but unfortunately ended with a drop in sales, but the Halal bento lunches will be available for a limited time at lunchtime on July 11 (Thu.). Also, on Monday, July 15 (holiday class day), we will be selling Ukrainian food. We hope you try these food options!

(7) 4 months of using MOE

Four months have passed since TUFS Moodle was replaced by MOE. It seems to be working smoothly, but if you have any questions, please contact OLST (Online Learning Support Team). The email address is: olst (followed by @tufs.ac.jp).

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That��s all the announcements for now, so please enjoy the hot summer.

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Kayoko Hayashi, President, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies