MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

The primary function of Matsumoto University is to develop human resources who can contribute to the advancement of local culture. Ideally, this will be evidenced by means of tertiary education that is based on our school's founding spirit of "independence and self-reliance." We are determined to fulfill the mission and the role of our university as a center of local knowledge. Accordingly, we fully embrace our local community, and we will continue to promote the assorted community-building activities that we have cultivated to date, so as to steadily realize a university that is trusted by the local community.

In the words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an eighteenth century French educational philosopher,"Youth is the time for cultivating wisdom, and old age is the time for practicing it ." Your privilege is your youth. So, I expect all of you, who are currently enjoying your youth, to work up a good sweat and to enhance your wisdom. It is important to sweat, and to produce wisdom from your sweat. It has been said that if you do not sweat in your youth, then you will shed tears in your old age! Wisdom can be defined as the mental activity that evaluates and processes reason. I strongly hope that through your studies at Matsumoto University, you will acquire the ability to reason, to plan, and to process information astutely, and that you will be able to put this ability into practice in the future.

Universities can be perceived as institutions where students can confront previously unexpected discoveries. Similarly, they can also be institutions for delving into cutting-edge inquiries, and for achieving what others have not been able to. A challenging spirit, and the courage to face challenges without fear of failure, is a benefit of youth, as well as a substantial asset to society as a whole. Such courageous challenges frequently lead to the creation of efficacious individuals and societies. Therefore, in order to realize your own personal dreams, I would very much like all of you to experience a wide range of learning with a challenging spirit. In addition, I would also encourage all of you to work hard and to cultivate your own personal wisdom.