Overview of the Plenary Council

The Plenary Council of the University (hereafter, simply the “Plenary Council”) is an organ established in order for all members of the Ritsumeikan University (“RU”) learning community—undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staf f, and the university authorities (the Executive Board of Trustees, of which College Deans are members)—to discuss and engage actively in improvements and reforms to various conditions of education, research, and student life. Sessions of the Plenary Council are conducted in line with the principle of self-government by all constituents of the university, and are attended by representatives of the four primary components of the university (the Student Union as the self-governing body for undergraduate students, the Graduate Student Council as the self-governing body for graduate students, the Faculty/Staff Union, and the Executive Board of Trustees). The Ritsumeikan Co-operative, which provides support for student life, participates as an observer.

The previous Plenary Council was held in the 2016 academic year (“AY 2016”). 2016 was the starting year of the R2020 latter phase plan, a basic plan for the following five years of RU’s operation. The AY2016 Plenary Council was conducted in association with discussion of this plan, and the matters confirmed therein were compiled in the Memorandum of the AY 2016 Plenary Council of the University. It was also confirmed that an open session of the Plenary Council would be held in 2018, where the university authorities would make a proposal on tuition fees to apply from AY 2019 onward. This open session was held on October 3, 2018, following three Plenary Council Representatives’ Meetings and a total of 32 discussion meetings and other forums.

This Memorandum documents the course of discussions and outcome of deliberations among participants since the AY 2016 Plenary Council, and the topics and concrete initiatives agreed through subsequent discussion.

• Ritsumeikan Style Academy Report AY 2016 Memorandum of the Plenary Council of the University
• Ritsumeikan Style Academy Report AY 2018 Toward the AY 2018 Plenary Council

Significance of the 2018 Plenary Council

In AY 2018, in light of the fact that little more than one year had elapsed since the previous Plenary Council, discussions focused on issues currently being addressed, new issues emerging in relation to students, and issues tabled by the various members of the Plenary Council. With a view to further advancement of the initiatives in educational improvement and student support undertaken thus far and formation of a basis for planning the next ten years of development (2021-2030), the university has recently been exploring the theme of “Learning Innovation that co-creates [collaboratively develops] extension, interconnection, and change in learning.” Initiatives to be pursued under this theme for education and student support in AY 2019 and beyond were also presented and discussed with Plenary Council participants.

In this way, the AY 2018 Plenary Council has facilitated wide-ranging discussions among undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty/staff members with a view to the R2020 latter phase plan already in progress and the next decade beginning in AY 2021. The Plenary Council has a significant role to play in giving concrete shape to directions and plans for development of the university and its campuses.