The Progress toward the Establishment of “OIST Graduate School”

The Establishing Members of the OIST School Corporation met to discuss the governance and education and research policies of the future “OIST Graduate University.” In the course of 4 meetings, the Establishing Members have agreed on the following.

1.    Governance
(1)    Board of Governors

• - The Board of Governors will become the decision-making body of the School Corporation and will consist of 10-20 members.
• - Except for the President and Provost, the governors shall come from outside OIST, and the Board will be composed of the following categories of individuals.
  •    - Scientists with outstanding achievements in the development of science and technology
  •    - Persons with superior understanding of the development and promotion of Okinawa
  •    - Persons with superior knowledge and experience concerning university management
  •    - Persons with superior knowledge and experience concerning management of organizations other than universities
• - The nomination of candidates was considered at this meeting.

(2)    President

• - As the first President of the Graduate University (President-elect), Dr. Jonathan Dorfan, Director Emeritus of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, was selected this July.
• - The President of the Graduate University shall serve as the CEO of the School Corporation.

2.    Education and research
(1)    Faculty

• - At least half of the faculty members will be non-Japanese.
• - The University shall start with about 50 faculty members at the opening of the Graduate University. Intensive recruitment activities are being conducted.

(2)    Students

• - The Graduate University shall accept approximately 20 doctoral course students every academic year (total student enrollment number: 100), and at least half of them will be non-Japanese.
• - The admissions policy and the student recruitment plan were discussed at this meeting.
• - Recruiting activities shall officially begin next fall, immediately after obtaining accreditation as a graduate university.
• - Extensive student recruitment activities such as enhancing public relations campaigns and holding workshops targeting undergraduates shall be intensively deployed.

(3)    Curriculum

• - Education and research activities shall be conducted in English.
• - The Graduate University shall have only a single five-year integrated doctoral program, and shall accept in principle only students whose objective is to obtain a doctoral degree (“Ph.D.”).
• - Background, characteristics and desire of individual students shall be fully taken into consideration; study programs will be customized to the individual.
• - Courses shall be conducted in an interactive tutorial style and shall cover multi-disciplinary and recent research advances.
• - Laboratory rotations shall be conducted to help a student select the most appropriate laboratory and to give the students opportunities to have laboratory research experience that will foster the students’ understanding of different techniques and ways of thinking.
• - The program of each graduate student will be guided by multiple faculty members to foster multi-disciplinary education and research.

(4)    Financial and other support to students

• - In order to attract outstanding students in competition with many of the world’s best research graduate universities such as Rockefeller University, MIT, Stanford and Harvard, it is indispensable to offer sufficient financial and other support. The details of this support will be further discussed and developed in the light of examples from other world-class graduate universities.

3.    Time Schedule to the Opening

• - Formal application for accreditation will be submitted to MEXT by the end of this FY in order to transit to a School Corporation and establish the Graduate University in Fall 2011.
• - The enrollment of the first class of students will be in September 2012.  Measures will be further discussed for students from Japan and other countries where universities accept students normally in April.

 Press Release (PDF)

 Statement of Motion: Competitive Financial Support for Students Needed