Kyoto Seika University has been a proponent of diversity since its establishment in 1968, before the concept had taken root in Japanese society. At its core, an education at Kyoto Seika is committed to respecting differences and embracing each other as equals.In 2016, amid massive global changes in the social climate, we announced our Declaration on Diversity Promotion, which outlines our basic philosophy on—and dedication to—diversity.Then, in April 2018, we announced a new declaration and action policy that incorporates a clear concept and specific details of diversity promotion.Going forward, we are committed to building not only a better campus environment but also a better society by continuing to review and build upon initiatives outlined in our action policy.
Outline of Diversity Promotion
Grow with our differences
President’s Statement on Diversity
Kyoto Seika University, committed to its founding principle of “freedom and autonomy” and to the ideal of “respect for human dignity” based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aims to be an academic community in which all members, including students, faculty and staff, can learn and grow through embracing one another’s differences.To this end, we aim to promote diversity, which we understand to be an evolving set of practices and policies that encourage “mutual acceptance and understanding among individuals of different backgrounds and attributes in an educational community where all have equal access to opportunity.”
Each of us has multiple attributes, some easily noticed (such as age, race, sex, physical characteristics, or gender expression) and some less easily recognized (such as nationality, religious affiliation, family background, place of birth, style of working, gender identity or sexual orientation).Openly acknowledging our individual differences, we aim to create a campus environment where no individual member will be denied opportunity, be excluded, or experience discrimination, and to implement inclusive policies that ensure equal opportunity for all members of the academic community as they learn, study, conduct research and work.
At Kyoto Seika University, the promotion of diversity does not simply refer to organizational development or reform.Through continually providing opportunities to experience diversity in all areas of campus life, we aim to foster awareness of our connections to others.In the process of coming to understand our differences, new values are encountered and we learn “to imagine the other”; this leads to new discoveries and ways of thinking that will enhance learning and creativity in the entire community.For these reasons, we reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of diversity and to the creation of new values at a time when we face many uncertainties in our rapidly changing world.
April 2018
President Oussouby SACKO