A Thought Experiment: "University Innovation"

※ Talking during class and entering/exiting the classroom are strictly prohibited.
※Registration without genuine motivation is disruptive to others and should be strictly avoided.
※Active participation and "contribution" will be evaluated. Therefore, mere attendance will not earn you credits. In fact, last year, "students with nearly 80% attendance" failed.

Despite seeing this syllabus for Meiji Gakuin University's Special Lecture in Business Administration, "Innovation and Creativity," 72 brave souls enrolled without flinching. They recently faced their final exam.

As the culmination of learning "methodologies for tackling problems without clear answers," the final exam posed this question:

"To overcome harsh challenges like declining birthrates, what should Meiji Gakuin University look like in 10 years?"

I wanted to see what kind of free-thinking ideas would emerge about the "university" – an institution familiar to all students yet generally distant from innovative transformation.

However, for the students, this proved to be quite a difficult question. During lectures, I repeatedly emphasized, "Don't just regurgitate conventional wisdom; base your thinking on your true feelings." But perhaps the topic was too close to home. Many jumped unquestioningly to their current "true feelings."

The most common response was a recognition of the current situation: "Universities only offer fixed curricula" for students who "can't find what they want to do in the future." From there, suggestions like "Eliminate required courses," "Make everything online lectures," or "Abandon classroom learning and switch everything to practical training at companies" emerged.

While these were undoubtedly their "true feelings," many ideas were far removed from the groundbreaking appeal Meiji Gakuin University aims to create. Unfortunately, this pattern resulted in lower scores.

Next most common were proposals targeting "seniors with too much free time." Some, like Mr. S's idea—"While regular universities prepare you for life's start, new universities prepare you for life's ending"—tried hard to stand out. But overall, the gloomy perception of "seniors = people with no future" was disappointing (especially to this respectable middle-aged guy).

Amidst this.

Mr. K. Fuji highlighted the social issue of "middle-aged and elderly hikikomori," estimated to exceed 600,000 people. He analyzed that one cause is "despite high ability, communication breaks down due to complexes stemming from a single failure or educational background, and now they have no reason to leave home." As a solution, he proposed the concept of "University Name Rental."

The idea is to issue "temporary" student IDs to all willing "hikikomori." By gradually getting them accustomed to going out through using libraries and campus facilities, if they can continue this for four years, they would be formally awarded a graduation certificate.

This idea of utilizing universities as a place for reinvention resonates with Meiji Gakuin University's "Do for Others" spirit. While the actual relationship between academic background and social withdrawal requires careful examination, as a thought experiment for the future of universities, the perspective was uniquely insightful.

While many students naturally view universities as "educational institutions," Mr. S focused on their "research institution" aspect. His proposal was the "Coworking Faculty Room." The idea is that university researchers sharing space with external coworking space users could foster emergent creativity.

Mr. Yada's "Matchmaking University" and Mr. N's "Marriage Atlas" defined Meiji Gakuin University not as an institution for education or research, but as "a place where kind and attractive young men and women gather."

Meanwhile, Mr. T. Hashimoto viewed it as a "collection of diverse private lives" and presented the concept of a "Data Zoo." This involves waiving tuition fees and other costs for students in exchange for selling all the information gathered about them to companies.

I offer my sincere respect to the students who took on such bold thinking challenges in the very arena of "competition for correctness" that is the university's regular exams.

Once the grading is done, it's a breather. It's a relief, but also a little lonely.

Oh, right—one last thing. If any students want to know how their answers were evaluated, reach out. Let's grab lunch and discuss it!