{"id":856,"date":"2026-04-20T12:49:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T03:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/?page_id=856"},"modified":"2026-04-20T12:49:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T03:49:29","slug":"vice-president-message","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/eng\/vice-president-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Vice President\u2019s Message"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At our university, African studies have been developed from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, primarily by faculty members affiliated with multiple faculties and graduate schools, as well as by researchers at the Institute of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies. In addition, since 2015, we have annually organized the \u201cAfrica Weeks\u201d, offering lectures and related events on African history and culture to both on-campus and external audiences. Through this initiative (\u201cSAFICs\u201d \u2014 Sophia Africa Future Initiatives for Collaborations<\/em>), we aim to consolidate the African studies previously pursued independently within the university and, with the cooperation of seven partner universities in the African region, further strengthen educational activities to promote student exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAFICs places particular emphasis on the goal of \u201cdeveloping leaders who contribute to solving global environmental challenges through international collaboration.\u201d In Africa, rapid economic development has intensified environmental problems, including air and water pollution and the overexploitation of natural resources. These issues can be seen as a microcosm of global challenges. Through this initiative, participating students will engage in dialogue and collaboration with students from Africa, identify environmental issues they consider to be of critical importance, and acquire the language skills, specialized knowledge (including Japanese and African area studies, international cooperation studies, and global environmental studies), and practical abilities necessary to address these issues proactively. Furthermore, by accumulating experiences of \u201ccollaboration\u201d with people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds, we hope to foster attitudes and values that respect diversity and encourage active participation in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Africa represents a new priority region for further internationalization at our university, student mobility and research exchanges with the region remain limited compared with other regions. Through SAFICs, we aspire not only to enhance education and research at our university but also to revitalize educational and academic exchange between Japan and Africa, and to cultivate the next generation of individuals who will contribute to building new and sustainable relationships between the two regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Students<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In April 2025, I assumed the position of Vice President for Global Academic Affairs at Sophia University. My first major task upon assuming this post was to prepare applications for \u201cThe 2025 Inter-University Exchange Project \u2013 Support for the Formation of Inter-University Exchanges with Global South Countries, Type II: Africa.\u201d For me, specializing in US history and having conducted research primarily in Europe and North America, the African region was uncharted territory. Indeed, even as I write this (February 2026), it remains a region I have never set foot in. However, fortunately, this successful application has provided the opportunity to engage in international collaboration with Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this initiative, we aim to cultivate leaders who contribute to solving global environmental challenges through international collaboration. Specifically, students from Sophia University and our seven partner universities across six African countries will learn from each other, think collectively, and act together, thereby gaining practical experience in international collaboration. Participating students will take common core subjects alongside lectures in specialized fields\u2014Japan-Africa Studies, International Cooperation Studies, and Global Environmental Studies, taught in multiple languages (Japanese, English and French) offered at Sophia. Some of these lectures incorporate opportunities for online discussions with African students. Furthermore, a key feature of this programme is the hands-on experience of \u201cinternational collaboration\u201d gained through short-term study tours (social engagement program) and volunteer opportunities in Africa, as well as fieldwork conducted domestically with students from Africa. The programme aims to organically connect the expertise acquired in lectures with real-world challenges and interaction with students, professors and local people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, I would like all participating students to cherish the sensations that arise during these exchanges and practical activities. The scent of a place visited for the first time, the taste of cuisine never sampled, the subtle sense of dissonance felt when something differs from one\u2019s own culture. Sharpen your senses to enrich your experiences. Such awareness is the very first step in international collaboration. Without sensitivity and respect for others\u2019 cultures and backgrounds, true collaboration cannot be practiced. Naturally, working alongside people from different backgrounds will inevitably present unexpected difficulties and barriers. However, I hope you will develop the ability to transform these experiences into valuable insights and learning, rather than letting them end as failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This programme is supported by the combined efforts of staff and faculty from our university and our partner institutions in Africa. For us, too, this marks our first venture into international collaboration between Japan and Africa. Precisely for this reason, we wish to refine the programme into something even better, learning and working alongside you all. Finally, I hope this programme becomes an opportunity for the participating students to open up new horizons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mariko Iijima<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice President for Global Academic Affairs\/ Professor, Faculty of Foreign Studies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For an interview with the Vice President regarding this program, please refer to this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At our university, African studies have been developed from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, primari […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":369,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-article.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-856","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"lang":"eng","translations":{"eng":856,"jpn":854,"fr":858},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":857,"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/856\/revisions\/857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cged.sophia.ac.jp\/safics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}