Kwansei Gakuin University (関西学院大学, Kansei Gakuin Daigaku), colloquially known as Kangaku (関学), is a private, non-denominationalChristiancoeducationaluniversity in Japan. The university offers Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees to around 25,000 students in almost 40 different disciplines across 11 undergraduate and 14 graduate programs. Kwansei Gakuin's main campus is the Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus, the university's other campuses consist of the Kobe Sanda, Nishinomiya Seiwa, Nishinomiya Kitaguchi, Osaka Umeda, and Tokyo Marunouchi campuses. Kwansei Gakuin University has been selected for inclusion in the Japanese government's Top Global University Project as a Type B (Global Traction) university.[12] The university is often referred to as one of the four leading private universities in the greater Kansai region.[13] The university maintains academic standards that rank among the highest of all Japanese universities and colleges.
[edit]The clock tower on the Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus, the symbol of Kwansei Gakuin UniversityThe former Kobe Harada-no-Mori CampusBranch Memorial ChapelThe Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus in 1929
The name Kwansei Gakuin (関西学院, Kansei Gakuin) originated from the desire of Walter Russell Lambuth, the university's founder, to serve citizens of Kansai (関西), the western part of Japan, while the word Gakuin (学院) means "college." The unusual romanization of KansaiasKwansei is due to the way it would have been pronounced by progressive students in the late 19th century when Kan-on pronunciations were seen as more educated.[14] The "official" pronunciation of Kwan can be heard in performances of the school song, but the modern pronunciation of Kan is the standard in other contexts. Though the university is commonly referred to as Kangaku, it would also be correct to say Kwangaku.[15]
In the context of "Mastery for Service," a "master" is an accomplished person in terms of their humanity, learning, and daily life. Kwansei Gakuin's avowed goal is to help students "master their God-given gifts in order to serve their neighbors, society, and the world."
Kwansei Gakuin University has agreements with several United Nations organizations. The university and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) reached an agreement establishing the university as the first institution of higher education in Asia to form a volunteer-sending partnership with the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) in 2003. KGU and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representation in Japan agreed to establish a special university scholarship system for refugees in Japan in May 2006. Under this agreement, Kwansei Gakuin started the UNHCR-KGU Higher Education Program for Refugees in Japan in April 2007, and two refugees were enrolled.
Since 1929, the university's flagship Uegahara campus has been located in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo.[17] The Uegahara campus was designed in a "Spanish Mission" style by William Merrell Vories (1880-1964), an American missionary, architect, educator, and entrepreneur. In 2017, the campus won an achievement award for its design from the Architectural Institute of Japan.[18] This campus is home to most of the administrative offices of Kwansei Gakuin.
The Nishinomiya Seiwa Campus (2009–present) is home to the School of Education and Seiwa Junior College. It is 10 minutes away from the Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus on foot.
The Kobe Sanda Campus (1995–present) is located in Sanda, Hyōgo, and houses the School of Policy Studies and the School of Science and Technology. It has the same architectural style as its Nishinomiya-Uegahara predecessor and is about an hour to 70 minutes from Nishinomiya by shuttle bus.
The Osaka Umeda Campus (2004–present) is located a short walk from the main public transport cluster of Osaka City. It holds graduate school classes for working people and offers support for lifelong learning and student job placement.
The Tokyo Marunouchi Campus (2007–present) is on the 10th floor of the Sapia Tower, next to Tokyo Station. In addition to serving as an information hub and offering lectures, the campus provides job placement support for alumni in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Athletics
[edit]American football head coach Hideaki "Hank" Toriuchi won 12 collegiate national championships in his 27 seasons as head coach of the Fighters (1992-2019).
Kwansei Gakuin has one of Japan's most diverse varsity athletic programs, with 34 varsity teams competing in regional collegiate leagues. Although the school, unlike other private universities in the country, does not offer specific scholarships for student-athletes, it is still competitive with the top echelon of Japanese collegiate teams in the sports of American football, basketball, lacrosse, and soccer.
The Fighters are one of Japan's most decorated American football programs at the university level, with a record 34 national championships.[19][20][21]
