Международный Христианский Университет в Токио: Обзор и особенности

University in Tokyo
the private university in Ukraine

International Christian University (国際基督教大学) is a non denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first liberal arts college in Japan. Currently the university offers 31 undergraduate majors and a graduate school. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology selected ICU as one of the 37 schools for The Top Global University Project in 2014. ICU is unique for being a fully bilingual campus, the classes are held in either English or Japanese, with all faculty required to have strong command in both languages. The university named by Forbes as a top 10 liberal arts college in Asia and ranks as the best Japanese private university by 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings. Its notable alumni include Princess Mako of Akishino, Princess Kako of Akishino, President and CEO of Sony, Kaz Hirai, and U. S. Senator, Jay Rockefeller. ICU is a member of the Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities and it has several partner institutions worldwide such as The University of California system, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Georgetown University, Yonsei University, University College London, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of British Columbia and more.

ICU's main campus of 150 wooded acres is located in Western Tokyo, with downtown areas like Shinjuku about half an hour's train ride away. Computer and internet access is available throughout the campus. The campus sits on ancient pre Jomon and Jomon archaeological remains, which gives students the opportunity to participate in archaeological fieldwork. Excavated items found on the campus are on permanent display in the Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum. In addition, the campus is directly on the former location of a Nakajima Aircraft Company factory. In a quiet wooded area of the campus and through a large thatched gate is the Taizanso Garden. Built in the 1920s, the garden includes a traditional Japanese tea house and the historically significant One Mat Room constructed out of wood gathered from sacred and historic sites throughout Japan. ICU owns a campus in Nasu and a retreat center in Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture. ICU houses a Rotary Center for peace and conflict resolution, partnering with Rotary International. It is the only Rotary Peace Center giving graduate degrees in Asia and is only one of seven Peace Centers worldwide. The University of California Tokyo Study Center which hosts the UCEAP program to Japan is also located on ICU campus.

ICU offers bachelor's degrees in liberal arts fields, as well as master's and doctoral degrees in education, public administration, comparative culture and the natural sciences. About 18% of the faculty come from overseas (primarily English speaking countries). There is a strong English language program (ELP), taught by tenured and contract faculty English teachers, which was embroiled in a contentious curricular reform in 2010 leading to the name being changed to the ELA (English for Liberal Arts program) in April 2012. Academics who aspire to teach at ICU are required to submit a reference who can testify to their commitment to Christianity, despite the university's stance that increasing adherents to the Christian faith is not its primary goal.

The languages of instruction at ICU are Japanese and English. Around 30% of all courses are offered in English, the rest in Japanese or in both languages. Prospective students without prior Japanese language knowledge are able to apply under a documentary screening process, instead of undergoing the entrance exams held in Japanese. These students are required to have college level English proficiency and subsequently take ICU Japanese Language Programs (JLP) courses to gain bilingualism and eventually take courses taught in Japanese. Under the policy of bilingualism of ICU curriculum, students take language courses for their non dominant language in their freshman and sophomore year (Depending on the student's language requirements, English for Liberal Arts or Japanese Language Programs). Each campus department staffs employees with strong command in both languages. Student resources, ICU websites, and campus bulletin boards are in both Japanese and English to accommodate students from any language background.

The academic year is divided into trimesters of approximately eleven weeks each with each course lasting one trimester term. This allows for a dynamic learning experience, one where students can design their own curricula as their interests change and develop.

The Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF) was incorporated in New York State on November 23, 1948, and helped to establish ICU in 1953. Today, the foundation maintains two non profit corporations: The Japan ICU Foundation, Inc. and the JICUF Endowment, Inc. The Japan ICU Foundation supports ICU in a variety of ways, including providing scholarships, running a faculty exchange program, providing funding for international programs and projects and helping to fund new buildings on campus. The Foundation has offices in New York City. The current Executive Director of JICUF is Paul Hastings.

As of 2011, ICU had 2851 undergraduates studying in the College of Liberal Arts, with 1041 male students and 1810 female students. The ICU Graduate School had 150 students, with 64 men and 86 women. 90.5% of ICU's undergraduate and graduate students are Japanese citizens, and the remainder represent 44 countries. Many returnee Japanese students that have lived overseas, also known as kikokushijo (帰国子女), make up the student body. The majority of ICU students live off campus, either at home with their families or in apartments. As of 2010, about 600 students were living on campus.

More than half of the students participate in study abroad programs during their time at ICU. The percentage of students who study abroad through ICU programs before they graduate is 55.5% (in 2014). Students who come from abroad to study at ICU on a year long exchange program are referred to as OYRs (One Year Regulars).

The ICU Dining Hall, also known as 2=ガッキ (3=Gakki), is the official cafeteria of International Christian University. Rebuilt in 2010, Gakki is a public, self service cafeteria and is one of the newest buildings on campus.

ICU students are known for their remarkable energy and initiative in creating a kaleidoscope of student led and student managed co curricular activities. There are about 100 student led clubs and organizations in the arts, sports, academic and social fields. New clubs are formed as student interest dictates, and most ICU students participate in one or more of these organizations.

As of 2016, 95.3% of ICU undergraduate alumni (students seeking employment) land a job right after graduation. ICU students have found employment in a wide range of industries, particularly with global companies. Over 20% of students go on to graduate school overseas and in Japan. Domestic and Overseas Universities include: International Christian University, University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Hitotsubashi University, University of Oxford, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of London, and Harvard University.

There are several rankings related to ICU, shown below.

In 2019, ICU was ranked 11th among all universities in Japan, and 1st among private universities by Times Higher Education and Benesse. QS World University Rankings ranked ICU as 174th in Asia in 2016. Forbes made a list of top 10 liberal arts colleges in Asia including ICU that was based on the 2014 QS University rankings for Asia.