Established in 1875, Kobe College Foundation, an all-women’s university located in Japan’s Hyogo prefecture, has been successful in establishing a global brand when it comes to quality learning. Founded by two missionaries, Eliza Talcott and Julia Dudley, its core objective is to communicate the Christian spirit of forgiveness, mutual acceptance, and support as reflected in its motto: “Love Thy God, Love Thy Neighbor.”
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The Okadayama campus, completed in 1933, was designed by architect William Merrell Vories, who not only supervised every design detail but also encouraged students to participate in the planning of the campus in order to promote student-motivated learning.
Kobe College, across all its campuses, has partnered with several universities in Asia, as well as with notable institutions in the United States.
“Right now, we only have online programs with our partner schools. We also have guest professors who stay in our college for one year. We have a support group in the United States and an alumni society. They send us these guest professors through the Japan Education Exchange system,” Chancellor Dr. Ken Ii told GMI POST, sharing his plans to improve international reach after the pandemic.
“We now have an English department. And next year, our new course will start with the Department of Global Studies. The students will study international partnerships and so on. In this new course, the students can get a BA degree,” he added.
Dr. Ii wants to provide an international mindset for their students. He believes that growth comes when they see a new landscape and visit another country.
As for those who are interested in learning Japanese culture, he said, “If they want to learn more about Japanese culture, come to Japan. I would love to make more people understand and love my culture. In fact, I’m now preparing my campus and curriculum for this.”
