1. Changes in the social and higher education environment surrounding universities

Today, the social and higher education environments surrounding universities are changing dramatically in ways that are directly linked to how each student learns and lives in the future. These changes are not distant concerns but have already become embedded in university learning and research in the form of questions such as, “Why is this kind of learning required today?” and “How can the abilities acquired at university be applied in society?”

First, the progress of a declining population against the backdrop of a declining birthrate has had a significant impact on Japanese universities as a whole. The number of 18-year-olds is expected to continue declining, making it difficult for universities to maintain the traditional teaching and research model based on students entering at age 18. This goes beyond talking about stiffer competition between universities to asking fundamental questions such as, “How can we explain to society the value of studying at university?” and “What learning is really needed by society going forward?” For students as well, it is more important than ever not to regard admission to university as the goal itself, but to consider what they will learn and what capabilities they will develop through their university education.

In addition, in recent years, the national higher education policy, in conjunction with science, technology, and innovation policies, has shifted significantly toward positioning universities’ individual development and research functions as central to social growth and the creation of new value. In addition to strengthening basic research, universities are expected to connect research outcomes to the resolution of social issues and the creation of innovation. These policy trends represent a move toward re-envisioning universities not merely as places for imparting knowledge, but as institutions that envision the future of society and advance talent development, research, and integrated collaboration with society to realize that vision.

Next, changes in the economic and industrial structure, coupled with rapid advances in digital technology, are significantly altering the skills society demands. As the use of generative AI through large-scale learning rapidly expands, the nature of expertise and knowledge itself continues to undergo significant changes. At the same time, there is a growing demand for the ability to confront fundamental questions underlying issues for which there is no single correct answer and to think and act creatively in collaboration with others. For example, the group work, project-based learning, and trial-and-error encountered in PBL courses are forms of learning deeply connected to these societal conditions.

This shift is affecting not only university education but also high school education. In national policy, there is growing discussion about moving away from the traditional practice of separating students into “humanities” and “science” at an early stage. Instead, there is a growing emphasis on the importance of equipping students, regardless of their academic track, with mathematical and computational literacy, based on the premise that they will utilize AI and data science. This does not simply mean increasing the number of science and engineering professionals. Rather, it indicates that students in every field are now expected to understand data and technology, view societal issues from multiple perspectives, and create value through collaboration with others.

As complex issues such as global environmental problems, local challenges, and social divisions become increasingly apparent, there are growing instances where merely mastering a single field of expertise is insufficient to resolve them. Consequently, the approach of bridging expertise and perspectives across different fields, and building consensus through repeated dialogue with others who hold different values while maintaining mutual respect, has become essential regardless of the career path one chooses to pursue. This means that university learning is expected not only to deepen expertise but also to cultivate interdisciplinary perspectives and maintain points of contact with society through collaboration with others.

Furthermore, the environment surrounding science and technology and research is undergoing significant changes. Science and technology are regarded as important factors that not only generate new products and services but also influence economic growth, the resolution of social issues, international relations, and national security. For this reason, although recent trends in Japan have increasingly focused on research with direct social and industrial applications while reaffirming the importance of basic research, universities themselves must once again reassess and recognize its value. Also, for students as well, research and scholarship are being reinterpreted not as something that is completed solely within the university, but as something that holds meaning within the context of its relationship with society. The experience of working on graduation research, a master’s thesis, or a doctoral thesis is not just a matter of completing assignments, but an opportunity to reconsider the very questions that underlie research and to establish one’s own perspective. And it is this ability to keep asking questions that is more important than the tangible value of research in society.

Ritsumeikan University does not take the stance of preparing easy answers to these questions and communicating them to students. Now, more than ever, when the very role of the university is being called into question, we believe it is our responsibility to share these questions with each and every student, to think through them together, and to continue addressing them in practice.

What does it mean to cultivate “individuals who can truly thrive” in a rapidly changing society, and what should universities provide and support, and what questions should ultimately be entrusted to students themselves? There is no predetermined correct answer to these questions. The university regards undergraduate and graduate students not merely as recipients of support, but as active participants who together reexamine the meaning of university learning, and will continue to explore its future direction through trial and error while remaining connected with society.

Amid these changes in the social and higher education landscape, Ritsumeikan University, as a private educational institution, is being asked what it should preserve, what it should change, and what role it should play as a university. The rapid progress of AI, demographic changes, instability in the international community, and fluctuations in values and social structures demand that universities not only improve their systems and measures as an extension of the past, but also question the nature of education and research itself.

What kind of place for learning and research should Ritsumeikan University become, and how should the University support each student in continuing to learn, take on challenges, and create new value in the society of the future? The answer is not predetermined. That is precisely why sharing this question with all of you, our students, bringing together your individual experiences and concerns, and reflecting on it together will serve as the starting point for the AY 2026 Plenary Council.