Dean's Message Archive
GREETINGS FROM THE DEAN
April 2008
Dean Y. Kanemoto
It is both my pleasure and my honor to succeed the founding dean of our school, Dean Akira Morita, who served the program for four years. I vow to do all I can to promote further development of our fine school and ask for your continued support and strident efforts to contribute to these efforts.
To date, the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) has had a number of institutional successes. Moreover, students who have completed our program have met with highly favorable job prospects. Due to an increase in revenue activities such as corporate-funded courses, research activities are also on the rise. In short, the groundwork for the creation of a world class, developmental institution for public policy professionals continues to be laid. However, resources to support operational budgets, staffing and facilities to keep pace with continued growth are never readily sufficient. Accordingly, as our successes to date have taught us, our journey forward will have its challenges.
Our intention upon establishing GraSPP was to change the way that policy formulation in Japan is approached by nurturing a cadre of public policy professionals. The age old practice of studying public policy in advanced nations in the west and then shaping and molding this knowledge to fit Japanese needs is outdated. In policy formulation, Japan must participate at the global frontier where new ground must be broken. In other countries, public policy professionals generally receive either master’s level or doctorate level education in order to provide a suitable standard of professional upgrading to meet this challenge. In this regard, we are driven by the challenge to establish a policy formulation environment where world class, leading edge research results will be sired and where professionals who participate in such activities will acquire the proficiency necessary to operate effectively on this new frontier.
A sizable chasm exists between actual policy formulation and the scientific research done in universities. In order to bridge the divide and nurture policy analysis that has practical relevance, universities must also change. At GraSPP, academic staff and seasoned specialists with practical experience from the public or civil sector work closely together in order to connect social science theory to actual practice. In doing so, a new approach to research that is responsive and relevant to the needs of society is emerging. Moreover, this new research approach is instilling fresh vitality to the practice of educating professional policy makers.
To support the expectations we have for participation from students with an abundance of passion and high ability, I would like to conclude by asking for all those involved to provide encouragement and support to the cause.