Inazumi: The most important thing is learning within the academic program, but what kind of approach is Professor Araki taking?

Araki's "cultivation of servant leaders" is the ideal profile that Aoyama cultivates, and it is the same in our Graduate School of Science and Technology. Moreover, the development of servant leaders is strongly linked to the training of data science personnel. At our university, we define a servant leader as "someone who serves others, discovers their mutual value, and creates a new era by connecting with other values." In increasingly diverse organizations, where different countries, cultures, and religions coexist, the ability to "listen" to everyone's opinions is required. All opinions and information that are listened to can be aggregated and analyzed as data, and connecting that to better solutions is data science itself. Therefore, I believe that education in our Graduate School of Science and Technology is equivalent to cultivating the ability to fulfill the basic mission of a servant leader. With this in mind, data science education can be said to be a field in which Aoyama 's educational philosophy can be put into practice.

Inazumi: Because our university has many students with a strong sense of balance and excellent intellectual communication skills, I expect that students studying in the Interdisciplinary Program will grow into "outstanding individuals" in the future. This means individuals who possess deep insight, can present ideas that differ from conventional thinking, and have the decisiveness to put them into action. In the Interdisciplinary Program, students cultivate the insight to see through to the knowledge behind the vast amount of accumulated data and the conditions of the fields in which the data is used. To achieve this, they thoroughly learn statistics and data science, which are the core of this program, and by actively incorporating the knowledge of collaborating departments, they acquire cutting-edge knowledge from the field side. This is by no means a benefit only for the Interdisciplinary Program; collaborating departments that provide specialized knowledge also benefit by developing the insight to interpret data. Ideally, a win-win relationship will be created through the Interdisciplinary Program.

Let's discuss the curriculum in more detail at Inazumi. The details are still under consideration, but please tell us what you know so far.

The greatest feature of this program is that while students specialize in statistics and data science, they also acquire a broad general education from five collaborating faculties. In the specialized education provided by these collaborating faculties, students acquire scientific knowledge and skills related to programming and artificial intelligence, as well as legal expertise from faculty members of Faculty of Law who teach about copyright issues related to data used in AI. Similarly, they learn a wide range of general knowledge from the perspectives of education, economics, management, and science and engineering regarding data utilization, AI, and how to implement them in society, cultivating knowledge and skills in data science that are in high demand in various fields. The "Academic Network" is formed by bringing together the knowledge and educational know-how of the five faculties.

Inazumi: That's precisely the strength of the academic program.

Inazumi When considering Aoyama Gakuin University as a whole, there is actually one more thing we are hoping for from this Graduate School of Science and Engineering. This also relates to the university's image in society, but the awareness that we have science and engineering faculties is not sufficiently high. College of Science and Engineering and School of Social Informatics are located on Sagamihara Campus, but with the establishment of the Graduate School of Statistical Data Science, the first undergraduate science and engineering program, on Aoyama Campus, we expect that there will be more opportunities for people to learn about our university's science and engineering initiatives. In addition, the university has tended to be primarily known for its humanities and social sciences brand image, but with the addition of science and engineering fields to Aoyama Campus, we expect to see an expansion into interdisciplinary fields across the entire university and... Sincere learning We hope this will contribute to the further advancement of "[the program/series name]" and the creation of a new Aogaku brand.

Araki For the field of data science, the advantages of being located on Aoyama campus are considerable. Our program involves analyzing real-world data in our classes, making collaborative and commissioned research with companies and other organizations essential. Having companies and government offices nearby is crucial for this. Sibuya Ward, where Aoyama campus is located, is home to "BIT VALLEY," a hub that has produced many IT ventures and served as a starting point for the development of the ICT industry. ^* This makes it easier to build relationships, and if our interdisciplinary research center on Aoyama campus becomes a key station for collaborations with companies and government agencies, it will be easier to create opportunities for joint research with the Faculty of College of Science and Engineering Engineering, with which we have a collaborative relationship. Furthermore, faculty members from the Faculty of College of Science and Engineering can conduct joint research with companies and other organizations on Aoyama campus and bring the results back to Sagamihara campus in terms of education and research.

*This term was coined in the late 1990s, combining "bitter" from Sibuya, "bit" (a unit of information), and "valley," inspired by "Silicon Valley," a hub of IT ventures in San Francisco, USA. In recent years, it has been revived through projects such as the "BIT VALLEY" project.

Inazumi This means that our academic program will function as a hub for businesses and government agencies by being based at Aoyama campus. Leveraging the advantages of Aoyama campus location is extremely important to our university's strategy.

Araki The establishment of a data science hub on Aoyama campus will likely be beneficial in enhancing recurrent education and lifelong learning in the future. As AI and other technologies continue to advance, it will serve as a place for business professionals, including alumni, to catch up on their skills and technologies, strengthen their sense of belonging and loyalty to Aoyama Gakuin University, and foster a diverse group of generations from different fields to learn together, which will be a positive development for the university in the future.

Inazumi Indeed, data science has a very high affinity with programs for working professionals. Offering a wide range of educational programs, including adult education, is particularly valuable in this location.

Some people have asked how the Faculty of Science and College of Science and Engineering and School of Social Informatics, which are science-based faculties, are differentiated from the Graduate School of Statistical Data Science. President Inazumi is also a professor in School of Social Informatics, so how would you answer that question?

Inazumi If you were to highlight the positive aspects of the new school program, primarily to parents, what would you say would be the key selling points?

Araki A major advantage is the small class sizes, which allow students to receive detailed support from faculty members during lectures and practical exercises. In addition, we have a team of supportive faculty members who can provide thorough assistance with job hunting and career paths. We are also considering establishing a graduate school, so we would recommend that students pursue further studies. In graduate school, students will engage in theoretical research at a level that cannot be covered in undergraduate programs, such as developing algorithms and estimation methods, and conducting research to improve estimation accuracy. It is also possible to obtain patents based on such research results, which would significantly increase the market value of the work. Graduate students have significantly more opportunities for collaborative research with companies, so we would like you to consider graduate school as a career path after graduation.

Inazumi That's a really important point. At our university, more than half of the graduates from the Faculty of College of Science and Engineering go on to graduate school, and about 90% of those who complete the master's program find employment in companies.

Araki If we can leverage the advantages of our Aoyama campus to conduct collaborative research with companies and research institutions that students admire, and then have graduates who go on to join those organizations and thrive based on that experience, they will serve as role models for their juniors. We faculty members must create a system that enables such collaborative research with companies.

Inazumi Aoyama Gakuin University is a university that produces energetic and vibrant students, some of whom start their own businesses and thrive while still enrolled, others who excel in large corporations, and still others who spin off from large corporations to forge their own paths. We hope that graduates of the Graduate School of Statistics and Data Science will make their presence felt within this environment. Furthermore, we want them to become an inspiring presence for students in the humanities faculties on Aoyama campus, and we will provide the learning opportunities to enable them to do so.