In 1966, Kobe Gakuin University was founded under our first President, MORI Shigeki, on the philosophy of "shinri-aikō kosei-sonchō" (love of truth and respect for individuality). Initially, it offered only one course of study in the Faculty of Nutrition. Now, more than half a century later, we have expanded to become one of the largest private universities in Kobe City to offer programs combining the humanities and sciences, with two distinct campuses in Kobe City, ten faculties and eight graduate schools, and a total of more than 11,000 students. More than 100,000 students have graduated from the university or completed graduate school courses, and they are actively contributing to not only industrial fields, public service fields such as national and municipal governments, NPOs and NGOs, and educational fields, but also to sports, entertainment, and a wide range of other 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 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. On January 23, 2026, which is covered by this "Third Mid-Term Action Plan," Kobe Gakuin University will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding. Construction of Building 1 located near the front entrance of Arise Campus, our mother campus, will finish during this milestone year of our 60th anniversary, and we will hold a commemorative ceremony in May of 2026. 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.