Shinshu University (信州大学, Shinshū daigaku), abbreviated to Shindai (信大), is a Japanese national university located in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As the only national university in Japan bearing the name of a former Japanese province, it bears the name "Shinshu" (alternative name for Shinano Province). The University has four campuses; Matsumoto, Nagano, Ueda and Minami-Minowa.
The school was established as a university in 1949, at which time the following institutions were subsumed into it; Nagano Normal School (established in 1873), Ueda Textile College (1910), Nagano Youths Normal School (1918), Matsumoto High School (1919), Nagano Technical College (1943), Matsumoto Medical College (1944), and Nagano Prefectural College of Agriculture and Forestry (1945).
Contents
History
Shinshu University traces its roots back to 1873 when it was a temporary normal school.
The university was chartered by the Showa government in 1949 under a new Japanese education system reforming older system, merging seven institutions of higher education within Nagano Prefecture which includes Nagano Normal School (長野師範学校, Nagano shihan gakkō) established in 1873, Ueda Textile College (上田繊維専門学校, Ueda senni semmon gakkō) established in 1910, Nagano Youths Normal School (長野青年師範学校, Nagano seinen shihan gakkō) established in 1918, Matsumoto Higher School (松本高等学校, Matsumoto kōtō gakkō) established in 1919, Nagano Technical College (長野工業専門学校, Nagano kōgyō semmon gakkō) established in 1943, Matsumoto Medical College (松本医科大学, Matsumoto ika daigaku) established in 1944, and Nagano Prefectural College of Agriculture and Forestry (長野県立農林専門学校, Nagano kenritsu nōrin semmon gakkō) established in 1945. In 2004 Shinshu University became a National University Corporation under the National University Corporation Act.
Academics
Shinshu University is a comprehensive national university having 8 faculties and 8 graduate schools. A wide range of education and research is carried out on the campuses at Matsumoto, Nagano, Ueda and Minami-Minowa with a total number of staff of 1,179 and a total number of students of about 10,970 (including about 329 foreign students).
Organic collaboration between the various departments is carried out utilizing the advantages of a comprehensive university, to achieve world level advanced and innovative education and research.
Rankings
In September 2005, the university chair decided not to participate in national or international rankings in the foreseeable future, stating the administrative expenditures needed as a main reason. The small sample size used by many rankings and their methodology have also been criticised. However, Shinshu University is still being featured in international rankings.
Administrative structure
The School of General Education
The mission of the School of General Education, is to cooperate closely with the five faculties concerned with teaching (Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, and Faculty of Textile Science and Technology) to make individuals acquire high professional skills based on the basic university policies for education. Furthermore, it aims to promote the educational research development and manage its plan comprehensively based on the university wide common perspective.
The Faculty of Textile Science and Technology
The Faculty of Textile Science and Technology is the only faculty in Japan with "Textile" in its name. It is recognized as an international research center in fiber engineering, and in 2010 celebrated the centenary of its establishment. It is ranked 35th in the sub-category "Textiles" in the international Science Citations Index. It is also ranked 50th in the "composites" sub-category. In 2012 they joined the Association of Universities for Textiles (AUTEX) based in Europe, to vitalize international exchange and collaboration.
Faculties
Arts
School of Medicine
Engineering
Science
Agriculture
Economics
Education
Textile Science and Technology
Graduate Schools
The Shinshu University Graduate School is unique in that it offers interdisciplinary research courses that capitalize on the overall strengths of the university. Such courses allow students to explore issues such as fundamental philosophy, practical engineering, medicine, and law to contribute to the harmonious coexistence of nature and human society.
List of facilities and associated institutes
Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research (ICCER), a World-class International Research Center
has been established bringing together research resources in 5 research areas:
Institute of Carbon Science and Technology
Center for Energy and Environmental Science
To propose new dimensional solutions for environmental and energy materials research
Institute for Fiber Engineering
research continues to innovate textiles
Institute of Mountain Science
Research into Mountain Science in Japan, Asia, and on a Global Scale
Institute for Biomedical Sciences
To contribute to the ultra-aged society by original research in biological sciences and medical research, with the aim of sustainable development
In these research institutes, the education and research areas that need to be continued into the future and that can be undertaken as fusion and collaborative education and research have been selected in accordance with the characteristics of Shinshu University. In these research clusters, by developing the environment with an emphasis on research, inviting prominent external researchers, and introducing new human resource development systems to cultivate young researchers into prominent researchers, it is considered that the next generation of outstanding researchers will be nurtured, while maintaining our position as a center of excellence.
University Library
Notable people
Professor
Akira Ikegami, a visiting professor and a journalist.
Morinobu Endo, a chemist in the field of carbon nanotubes.
Pulickel Ajayan, an nanotechnologist.
Mildred Dresselhaus, a physicist.
Gordon Wallace, a scientist in the field of electromaterials.
Shuji Nakamura, a visiting professor and one of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the blue LED.
Alumni
Naoki Inose, Governor of Tokyo, a journalist.
Gorō Miyazaki, a film director at Studio Ghibli, and the son of Hayao Miyazaki.
Morinobu Endo, a chemist in the field of carbon nanotubes.
Mitsu Shimojo, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense.
Akiko Kumai, a potpourri expert.
Kei Kumai, a film director.
Kyoko Ishida, Olympic medalists in volleyball
Sohei Miyashita, Head of the Japan Defense Agency and the Environmental Agency.
Koji Kobayashi, a computer scientist.
Morio Kita, a novelist, essayist.
Shinroku Momose, an aircraft/automotive engineer.
Mizuho Ōta, a poet.
Kiyoshige Koyama, a composer for orchestras.
Takahisa Oguchi, a luger.
Mitsuko Shiga, a poet.
Shinichi Fukushima, a racing cyclist.
Alumni of attached schools
Naoki Inose, Governor of Tokyo, a journalist.
Yasuo Tanaka, Governor of Nagano Prefecture
Takashi Yamamoto, a pianist.
Masachi Osawa, a sociologist.
Haruyo Ichikawa, a film actress and singer.
Full list can be found in the Japanese Wikipedia article: List of Shinshu University people (in Japanese)