6. List of key themes and annual schedule for AY 2026

At the AY 2026 Plenary Council, discussions are expected to proceed broadly along the following lines.

Discussions are expected to cover topics such as enhancing the education and research environment, student life, future pathways and careers, and the campus environment. In addition, the direction of education and research reform for the second half of R2030 will be discussed as necessary, including cross-disciplinary learning, fundamental knowledge required in the age of AI and data science, the connection between expertise and societal issues, and the way graduate schools should be advanced and highly specialized individuals should be developed.

As part of the annual schedule, key issues will be organized and views exchanged during the spring semester through meetings of representatives from the Plenary Council and discussions between the university and the Student Union and Graduate Student Council. An open session of the Plenary Council will then be held in the fall semester (October). After that, while reflecting on the discussions, we will share future directions and challenges by January of the following year. Through the accumulation of such dialogue throughout the year, we will work to build a university in which undergraduate and graduate students can participate with a genuine sense of involvement.

In addition, the university must work together with undergraduate and graduate students to consider how student fees and financial resources should support these educational and research reforms, from the perspectives of providing education that reflects the significance of student fees and ensuring that students experience learning and personal growth commensurate with the student fees they pay. Ensuring that improvements in learning opportunities and research environments are experienced and felt by each undergraduate and graduate student is one of the key issues addressed by the Plenary Council.