The first Plenary Council Representatives’ meeting of AY 2026 was held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The Plenary Council Representatives’ meeting is a forum where the Student Union, Graduate Student Council, Faculty/Staff Union, the University (Executive Board of Trustees), and the Ritsumeikan Co-operative (observer) share issues to be discussed going forward and the underlying understandings for those discussions, in preparation for the open session of the Plenary Council scheduled for October. At this meeting, participants reviewed achievements in education, research, student life, and Academy co-creation during the first half of R2030 and shared issues that should be further deepened in the second half of R2030.

At the opening of the meeting, in light of changes in society and industrial structures, the declining birthrate and aging population, and technological innovation including AI, questions were raised regarding what role Ritsumeikan University should play as an education and research institution in the society of the future, and how to develop an environment in which undergraduate and graduate students can formulate their own questions, engage in inquiry, and take on challenges. In the discussions, participants shared an understanding of the importance of viewing education, research, student life, graduate education, and the financial base as integrated points of discussion that support the learning and growth of undergraduate and graduate students, rather than as separate issues.

1. Achievements in Academy Co-Creation and Future Directions

With regard to Academy co-creation, participants emphasized that it should not be viewed merely as practical cooperation in the operation of events and similar activities, but as an endeavor in which undergraduate and graduate students participate as active agents in decision-making and policy formation related to the foundations of the Academy. In addition, participants identified future issues related to communicating the background and necessity of these measures to undergraduate and graduate students, and to connecting Academy co-creation initiatives to a university-wide understanding and a tangible sense of their significance.

2. Learning That Connects Curricular Learning, Self-Directed Extracurricular Activities, and Career Development

Participants shared the need to view curricular learning, self-directed extracurricular activities, job-hunting activities, and career development as opportunities for learning and growth throughout university life, rather than as separate matters. Self-directed extracurricular activities were positioned as an important arena for learning in which students cultivate agency and collaboration, moving back and forth between identifying and solving issues. In addition to developing environments that include activity spaces, places where students can feel they belong, and campus amenities, the framework for support itself was also positioned as an issue for future discussion.

3. Enhancing Mutual Learning among International Students, Working Adult Graduate Students, and Others

Participants also shared, as an important issue for future discussion, how undergraduate and graduate students with differing cultural backgrounds, learning experiences, living situations, interests, and individual characteristics—including international students and working adult graduate students—encounter one another and learn from one another in university life. In future discussions, participants will confirm their tangible sense of how to connect exchanges inside and outside the classroom, multicultural collaborative learning, BBP, research activities, self-directed extracurricular activities, and other experiences to the learning and growth of each undergraduate and graduate student.

4. Developing Education and Research Environments to Enhance Graduate Schools

With regard to initiatives to enhance graduate schools, participants shared an understanding of the need to strengthen the connection between learning and research from undergraduate colleges to graduate schools, while also developing research environments, financial support, and career support in an integrated manner—creating an environment in which graduate students can engage in research with peace of mind. Participants also identified, as an issue for future discussion, how to communicate the value of learning and research in graduate schools to undergraduate students and society, while connecting that value to graduate students’ tangible sense of it.

5. Student Fees and Finance, and Returns That Undergraduate and Graduate Students Can Tangibly Experience

Participants also discussed the positioning of financial management and student fees as the foundation for sustainably supporting these initiatives. Participants shared an understanding that discussions of student fees and finance are not only about burdens or amounts, but are inseparable from discussions on how, as a private university, Ritsumeikan can take into account the weight of student fees, enhance the value of undergraduate and graduate students’ learning, research, and student life, and return that value in forms they can tangibly experience. Going forward, through representatives’ meetings, five-party discussion meetings, graduate school discussion meetings, and various other consultation opportunities, the University will continue to consider the forms of education, research, and student support that respond to the weight of student fees together with undergraduate and graduate students.

Going forward, the issues shared at this meeting will be further organized through representatives’ meetings, five-party discussion meetings, various consultation opportunities, and other forums, and will be deepened as issues for discussion leading up to the public Plenary Council in AY 2026. The University also hopes that undergraduate and graduate students will take up these issues from their respective standpoints, reflect on them, and participate in dialogue.