Nanzan University

Nanzan University was first established as Nanzan College of Foreign Languages in 1946. It has since grown to encompass 8 faculties which offer 17 undergraduate and 5 graduate degree programs. As a coeducational Catholic institute of higher learning, our founding principle focuses on “educating from a Christian worldview.”

To help us better translate this founding principle into concrete action, we have adopted “Hominis Dignitati” (for the dignity of all human beings) as our educational motto. One of the central tenets of Christianity is that human beings have been created in God’s image and as such have an inviolable dignity—one that confers sacred value and inalienable rights. It is our fervent hope that we are able to foster individuals who take these teachings to heart and thus live their lives in a way that honors the inherent dignity in themselves and in other people. In order to play an active part in international society, it is important to learn to respect oneself as well as to show others the same level of respect. Our vision at Nanzan University to “empower the individual to become a power in and for the world” which embodies the spirit of respecting people, maintaining diversity, coexisting and cooperating together.

Nanzan University seeks to cultivate people that can tackle various challenges in harmony with the people around them, solve problems by utilizing their international capabilities and expertize, and thereby continue to promote an “unending self-transformation.” Providing a place of learning without borders is a necessary element for Nanzan University to continue to be chosen worldwide. To that end, we will continue to make the utmost effort in all areas as one team across all 8 faculties, 17 undergraduate and 5 graduate degree programs.

Nanzan University is the only coeducational Catholic mission school in the Chubu region, and “educating from a Christian worldview” is our founding principle. To help us better translate this abstract principle into concrete action, we have adopted “Hominis Dignitati—for the dignity of all human beings” as our educational motto.

One of the central tenets of Christianity is that human beings have been created in God’s image, and as such have an inviolable dignity—one that confers sacred value and inalienable rights. It is our fervent hope that we may foster individuals who take these teachings to heart and thus live their lives in a way that honors the inherent dignity in themselves and in other people.

The Society of the Divine Word (Societas Verbi Divini, or SVD, in Latin) alludes to the biblical phrase “the Word became flesh.” The name’s origin reflects the purpose of the society, reminding us of our spiritual unity with Christ as we fulfill our mission of evangelism, which is the fundamental work of the Church.

The Nanzan University Grand Design is a chart for positioning Nanzan as a university that will be a preferred option for students from all over the world. In this chart is the vision, and the medium-to long-term goals, that are based upon our University's founding ideals and educational motto. Our vision is grounded in the recognition that differences exist among people in terms of ethnicity, ability, religion, culture, and gender. It is dedicated to the service of creating a new set of values that embraces such diversity and, through living and working together in our diversity, promotes respect for the dignity of all human beings. In short, we aim to “turn the power of the individual into the power of the world. empowering the individual to become a power in and for the world.”

The following are the medium-to long-term goals for realizing this vision:

• For research, “to respect human dignity, carry out pioneering research for the advancement of humankind, and, as a base of interdisciplinary joint research, to create new academic value.”
• For education, “with the establishment of a system of universal access, having realized its vision, to become a university that is a preferred option for students from all over the world, producing quality graduates for the world market.”
• For social contribution, “to become the bestregarded university in the region through social contribution that gives expression to our vision.”