In 1966, our University was established under Dr. MORI Shigeki, an authority in the field of onstitutional medicine and a professor emeritus at Kyoto University, as the first President, on the philosophy of "shinri-aiko kosei-soncho" (love of truth and respect for individuality). It initially offered a single course of study with only the Faculty of Nutrition. Today, more than half a century later, the university has expanded to become the largest private university in Kobe City to offer programs combining the humanities with sciences, with multiple distinct campuses, ten faculties and eight graduate schools, and a total of more than 11,000 students. We will soon reach approximately 100,000 graduates, who are actively contributing to a wide range of fields including industrial fields, public service fields such as national and municipal governments, NPOs and NGOs, and educational fields.

In AY2022, we formulated "KOBE GAKUIN INNOVATIVE VISION 2040 - Leading to the Future," our Long-Term Vision for Kobe Gakuin University, and also announced our "Kobe Gakuin University Grand Mission" which aims to break this down into specific items. This Long-Term Vision and Grand Mission are supported by our "aspiration to connect with the community." Throughout our daily efforts, we aim to actively engage in joint projects with industrial fields, administrations, and local residents in our community, and by incorporating what we gain there into our curricular and extracurricular educational programs, we aim to both improve learning results for our students and achieve social growth for the university itself.

Having established and implemented our "Mid-Term Action Plan," which began in AY2013, we have begun moving toward our "Third Mid-Term Action Plan" in AY2023. In 2026, which is covered by this "Third Mid-Term Action Plan," we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the university's founding. Construction of Building 1 on Arise Campus, which is our mother campus, is also scheduled to finish during this milestone year. We hope you look forward to the completion of this new building, which will be a spot for lively interaction.

As Japan faces a decreasing birth rate and shrinking population on an unprecedented level, society demands that we take on new challenges without being constrained by the common sense of the past. The driving force behind those efforts will be the students who are learning now. Whenever we faculty members interact with students through curricular and extracurricular activities, we can feel their energy. We often encounter situations that remind us how we adults find reasons something cannot be done, but the students find methods to make it possible. These moments renew our inspiration. I believe it to be the mission of Kobe Gakuin University to provide a range of support so that these students can become human resources with the capability to know common sense, doubt common sense, and think independently to create a new era. To that end, we faculty members will also strive to find methods to make something possible and then to put those methods into practice. We ask for your continued understanding and support.