- Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto -

Japanese Universities’ Efficient Globalization Drive
- Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto -
 
By Lee Ji-woo, Head Student Editor
 
The Chonnam National University Press and Broadcasting Center (CNUPBC) sent special overseas teams to cover Japanese universities’ efforts to improve their global competitiveness during the last summer vacation. Chonnam Tribune will publish the results of the overseas coverage serially from this issue. The first part of the special series looks at the present situation of Ritsumeikan University’s globalization efforts in Kyoto, Japan. -Ed.-
 
Chonnam National University (CNU), like other Korean universities, has been striving to make its campus more globalized and to improve their international competitiveness. While the university has dispatched many local students overseas for its outbound globalization, it continues to make efforts to invite more foreign students from abroad as part of its globalization drive. As a result, CNU currently has a growing number of international students from foreign countries; as of September 1st, CNU has 946 international students registered in undergraduate and graduate degree programs, approximately 40 exchange students from 43 countries around the world, and 350 Korean language program students according to the official data of the Office of International Affairs at CNU. To seek inbound/outbound globalization, CNU operates a variety of school programs such as the ‘One+One Buddy-Buddy’ program for international students and the ‘Worldwide Study Tour’ program for local students.
However, some believe that it is still not enough; to make it  ’a real global university’, CNU has to seek more diversity and be more sensitive to the needs of foreign students, particularly Chinese students. The reason for this is that the nationalities of foreign students studying at CNU are very limited, and most of them are mainly Chinese. Also local students have very limited opportunities to go overseas through school programs. Then, is there no other way to breakthrough these drawbacks? Can we take any lessons from other advanced universities? Chonnam Tribune covered two Japanese universities which have superior system for campus globalization. First, CNUPBC’s special overseas teams visited Ritsumeikan University (RU) in Kyoto, Japan last August 10th.
 
The Brief Introduction of Ritsumeikan University’s Globalization
RU was founded by Kojuro Nakagawa in 1900, and was upgraded to full university status in 1922. These days, RU is one of the most internationalized mainstream universities in Japan. There are over 20 exchange programs for RU’s students and the participation rate is very high. RU has made wide global network with famous overseas universities such as University of British Columbia. As of May 2009, RU had a total of 1,083 international students and 134 non-degree exchange program students. Among them, there are 315 students from Korea. Our country ranks second after China in number of international students at RU. Overall, the university hosts students from 48 countries. Now let’s take a look at RU’s specific policies and programs for globalization focusing on its efforts to help local and international students.
 
Wide Global Network and Special Degree Course
RU established a wide global network that is made up of 379 universities and institutions spread around the world. Through this network, the university runs numerous types of exchange programs with many famous overseas universities. RU can dispatch its local students to numerous countries through school programs. Besides, the strong global network is effective for inviting renowned foreign teachers and recruiting excellent international students from around the world. For example, RU built a branch office in Seoul for applicants who want to enter the university.
Next, Ru’s global competitiveness comes from a special degree course in the Division of International Relations, which is one of the top class divisions among all divisions of Japanese universities. This division gives RU a competitive edge among Japanese universities and has helped it become famous as one of the most internationalized mainstream universities. Many international students hope to enter the division to improve their global competiveness. Kim Chae-yun (Sophomore, Division of International Relations), a Korean student studying at RU, said, “I knew my division was famous when I was still in high school, so I really wanted to enter this university. Now, I am satisfied with the classes and other curricular courses provided by RU.” On the other hand, it is hard to say which of CNU’s divisions is the most beneficial for international students. Of course, it is not easy to inaugurate a specialized division, but it needs a long-term endeavor to do so. It is time to think about it seriously, if we really want to make CNU a global campus.
 
Effective Admission Requirements and Managements for International Students
Also, international students must meet certain level admission requirements to enter RU. The university has two main admission types, but the most important condition is Japanese language and learning ability for studying at the university. Jason Halayko, an officer of the International Center of RU, said, “To apply at RU, foreign applicants must submit a Japanese Language Proficiency Test certificate, which is the official entrance test for international students to assess their Japanese ability. In addition, every applicant must interview with an interviewer in Japanese. Though the entrance requirements may seem very tough, thanks to the high standard of language proficiency needed to qualify for the program, they are extremely beneficial; the numbers of international students who have difficulties in studying at RU are very few.” Most international students can understand classes smoothly and freely participate in school programs such as joining clubs and exchange programs thanks to their Japanese proficiency. Of course, the evaluation of their performance in classes is applied equally to both local and international students. Lastly, RU provides very helpful programs and enough information for both international students and local students who want to go abroad to study. For example, for international students, the university gives appropriate information and legal documents and helps them make local friends through ‘tutor programs’ and ‘friendship programs’ including a barbeque party which is regularly held at RU’s  International Center. Besides, the ample manpower of the International Center, which consists of several international officers and systemic programs, enables the center’s officers to keep trying to listen carefully to the needs and complaints of international students all the time.
 
The Lessons for CNU’s Better Globalization
University globalization can be achieved in two ways: by bringing many international students with diverse nationalities on campus and actively dispatching local students overseas. Recently, CNU has been trying to be more globalized through hosting many international forums and recruiting foreign professors and students from around the world. However, it seems that most international students at CNU have difficulty taking lessons because of language problems. So, it is rare to see international students studying at CNU getting good credits and adapting well to the university. We need to re-think the real essence of university globalization. For a better globalized campus, it may be necessary for CNU to make greater efforts to improve international students’ Korean language proficiency and to encourage local students’ active challenge beyond the country. As we study RU’s globalization programs, we need to check our current situation and make a few slight modifications to our own strategy for building a global campus.
▲ The front view of the campus of Ritsumeikan University
 
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