Iwate University is located in Morioka City, the capital of Iwate Prefecture. It is one of the principal cities in the Tohoku region. The population of Morioka is approximately 300,000. Three rivers, the Kitakami River, the Nakatsu River, and the Shizukuishi River, merge in the city center. Morioka is a city surrounded by historical sights and unspoiled nature.
Established in 1949 as a national university, Iwate University was inaugurated into a national university corporation and 86 other national universities in 2005. The university is composed of the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Science and Engineering, and Agriculture. There are currently over 6000 students enrolled, served by 800 administrative and teaching staff. Also, Iwate University hosts over 200 international students from more than 20 countries.
The campus is about a 20-minute walk from Morioka JR Train Station and beautiful downtown Morioka. It is very convenient for students to find part-time jobs, go shopping, and enjoy city life. On the campus, students will find many facilities for their studies and extracurricular activities, such as the university library, gymnasiums, and a swimming pool. The Student Union, "The University Co-op," has a bookstore, ticketing service, travel service, housing service, and food kiosks.
Iwate University's glocal learning environment aims to develop students' local and global perspectives. We host a range of glocal programs, such as the Center of Community (COC) to nurture intellectual creativity and the COC+ Program, which explores regional development applications. We strive to enrich students' global perspectives through our endorsement of international exchange programs like the Tobitate Japan Scholarship and increase our number of partner universities so more students from abroad can study at Iwate University, and vice versa. We are also researching to examine birth rate, aging, and decreasing population trends in local and global contexts. These initiatives identify our exact position among universities in the world.
Our continued involvement in post-disaster restoration stems from our mandate to pursue post-disaster reconstruction for a minimum of ten years. Though six years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, reconstruction is still unfinished. Disaster recovery of this scale requires community innovation. Perhaps in this arena where Iwate University can make its most visible impact—developing strategies and technologies communities can utilize. Our study program at the newly founded Rikuzentakata Global Campus, situated in an area heavily affected by the tsunami, is one of the features Iwate University offers for reconstruction education. The Rikuzentakata Global Campus is an ideal setting for domestic and international students to gather and engage in exchange.
Iwate University will promote international exchange and collaboration by planning and implementing international strategies in education, research, and contribution to society to respond to rapid globalism. Through education and research, we will play a significant role in bridging local and international societies and contributing to their sustainable development.
As an academic institution whose members pursue the truth, we are continually refining our academic culture by providing talented men and women a high level of expertise and rich education.
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