On March 26, the 2nd KU-GLOCS Symposium “Challenge To Nurture ‘Kanazawa University Brand’ Human Resources -High School-University Joint Development of Global Human Resources-” took place. This symposium aimed to directly communicate why our university promotes thorough globalization to high school students, their teachers, and those involved in our university including our faculty, staff and students, as well as to have globalization take root in Ishikawa Prefecture. The symposium was planned in cooperation with six high schools in Ishikawa Prefecture.

First, Prof. Shun Korenaga, President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), presented his special lecture. Since more than half of the faculty and students at APU come from abroad, he showed the audience how a truly globalized university is like. After that, KU Vice President Masayoshi Shibata explained about KU’s drastic reforms in education to nurture global human resources including the new general education courses called “GS courses,” introduction of quarter system, and future changes in entrance exam. In the panel discussion that followed, 3 KU students who had experiences abroad and 3 high school students discussed “What is needed to become global human resources?”

Approximately 280 persons including 160 high school students from 8 high schools in Ishikawa attended the event.

After the symposium, a networking session was held for high school students to interact with KU students who had studied abroad, KU international students and faculty. They talked about various topics such as how to study for entrance exam and how their studying abroad experience was and deepened their exchanges.