Creating Leaders in the VUCA Era through the Power of Continual Learning
Suwa University of Science, which restarted in 2018 as a public university corporation, has a history of over 30 years, including its origins as a junior college and as a private university. During that time, we have promoted education and research based on science and engineering, provided education that combines engineering and management studies, and aimed to contribute to local communities through human resources development and joint research.

On the other hand, we live in the VUCA era, one of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. This era is a time when the future is uncertain and difficult to predict. In the VUCA era, it is necessary to have the ability to discover and solve essential issues, and the ability to see through to the essence of them. The ability to think for oneself and generate creative ideas based on one’s sensibilities and experience is also required in this era. Furthermore, it is important to acquire highly versatile basic skills in order to deal with new matters. Though university education is thought to have cultivated sufficient abilities until now, it is necessary to introduce a new curriculum for developing the abilities mentioned above.

Recently, STEAM education has been attracting attention as a means of addressing this need. STEM education is a teaching approach that combines science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEAM incorporates the liberal arts, which can expand the limits of STEM education and its applications. The subjects introduced as liberal arts will be very important in characterizing each university, and it is highly desirable for students to learn widely from the liberal arts.

I think that students need to view things from various perspectives, to gain knowledge about various subjects in addition to specialized ones, and to be thirsty for new knowledge. I also hope that they will take a leading role in the VUCA era. It is my greatest pleasure that Suwa University of Science will be recognized as a “hub of knowledge” in the region by playing an active role in not only the local but also the international community.