Message from the Director
University-Wide Support for Moral Education
Reitaku’s commitment to moral education has already been substantiated with its wide range of curriculum and has received support from committees of the university’s teaching staff and other staff members. From now on, the Center for Moral Science and Education will play a central role. More specifically, the Center will (1) produce “Founding Philosophy/Moral Science and Education” to replace the annually-issued orientation brochure “Moral Science” in promoting internal and external understanding of Reitaku University’s moral education, and will (2) distribute the brochure to all teaching staff, staff members, students’ families, and external associates—as a tool for sharing and gathering opinions about the significance of “moral science”.
The annual brochure “Reitaku Education” will continue to be published so that Reitaku students, teachers, staff members, extracurricular instructors, guardians and graduates can report on their activities and the current status of the university’s character-development education, and deepen their mutual understanding of the philosophy and process of education at Reitaku.
Additionally, in order to enhance student support, the “Student Support Project” has been launched, reinforcing organizational partnership between the university departments. The Project will now lead the efforts of the Career Center , the International Exchange Center, the Student Counseling Center, the Health Support Center and the Student Administration Department—to aid the current student support structure under an enhanced framework of partnership.
Orientation for New Students on the Founding Philosophy
Each year, the College of Foreign Studies organizes an Orientation Camp for new students. This orientation takes place at the Tanigawa Seminar House, a former spa resort in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture. It was purchased by founder Chikuro Hiroike in 1937 with his personal funds, and developed into an educational facility. Hiroike, who had chronic health problems, visited over ninety spa resorts nationwide for medical purposes, finally choosing Tanigawa as the most beneficial. He decided to build a facility there to provide mental and physical health treatment for Reitaku personnel. Visiting the Seminar House itself gives us an opportunity to follow in the spiritual footsteps of our founder. At Tanigawa, new students hear from members of the facility staff about the founder’s activities in the local community. They also visit the Oana Memorial Hall, which features the room he used as his office in the closing days of his life. Taking charge of the orientation program at Oana Memorial Hall is the “Moral Science Team”, consisting of a number of Reitaku University’s Moral Science teachers and senior students. The instructors organize a preparatory seminar on our founder Chikuro Hiroike so that it becomes a learning opportunity for them as well. The International School of Economics and Business Administration once offered an off-campus orientation similar to that of the College of Foreign Studies. Due to the need for distinct curricular identity, and after it was concluded that our orientation was sufficiently substantial as regards quality and quantity to turn it into a regular course, the School in 1999 formally incorporated it into the curriculum under the title of “An Introduction to Social Science and Analysis” (a basic/interdisciplinary subject, 2 credit units). The program is delivered in the form of a lecture on the founding philosophy of Reitaku. In the three-day “Introduction to Social Science and Analysis” program conducted from April 5th to 7th this year, Day 1 involved a lecture by the Dean of the School, followed by a lecture entitled “Reitaku University Founder Chikuro Hiroike and his Founding Philosophy”, delivered by a teacher of “Moral Science”. The restructured International School of Economics and Business Administration will continue to offer this program.
