In contemporary society and with the rapid evolution of information technology, how people connect with each other is changing drastically. In this new era, called the AI era, technology enriches our lives and makes daily life more convenient; at the same time however, it is becoming more important than ever not to lose sight of the preciousness of humanity and the emotional connections with others.

In light of this present situation, we at the Faculty of Human and Social Studies have set forth the basic principle of the embodiment of hospitality based on which the Department of International Tourism aims to develop individuals who can play an active role on the global stage while transcending cultural and linguistic differences. The Department of Social Work is committed to fostering students who will help realize a society where everyone can live with dignity through comprehensive support and care provided for all levels of society.

Learning through these two departments is not just about acquiring specialized knowledge and skills. What we value is learning to nurture the heart in order to understand, respect, and support other people. I believe that even in the age of AI, such human skills will have even greater value and will be required in diverse fields.

Nowadays, food, nutrition, and health issues are becoming increasingly more diverse and complex. In such circumstances, there is an increasing demand for registered dietitians as food and nutrition specialists who can identify issues and implement initiatives to solve them. Therefore, registered dietitians are required to have advanced, specialized knowledge and skills to respond to rapid scientific advancements and social changes and to have a lifelong attitude of learning. Our graduate program offers a comprehensive curriculum that allows students to acquire nutrition science based on medicine through lectures and practical training by faculty members consisting of registered dietitians and doctors.

Additionally, registered dietitians who are positioned in the medical profession require the skills of teamwork and communication since collaboration with other professionals in the same or different fields is considered important. With our fundamental principle of respect for humanity, we aim to cultivate the necessary talents for society through a warm educational environment where registered dietitians train the next generation of registered dietitians, acquiring not only professional knowledge and skills but also rich human qualities that enable them to be empathetic.

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a national state of emergency was declared in Japan in April 2020, and healthcare professionals have been making strenuous efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in various parts of the country. If an “overshoot” should occur in a small municipality (community), it would surely lead to the collapse of the healthcare system. It is because the capacity of hospitals and the number of healthcare professionals, such as physicians and nurses who treat and attend to patients, are not sufficient in small municipalities, and the number of patients that they can manage per day is very limited. However, if there were a breakthrough wonder drug or preventive drug for COVID-19, and pharmacists could prescribe it in an appropriate manner, it could save many lives at a time and prevent the collapse of the healthcare system.

One of what is required for community-based healthcare is the pharmacists who have sophisticated medical and pharmaceutical knowledge and who can collaborate with other healthcare workers. As drug experts, pharmacists are required to have the scientific skills to select scientific data useful for healthcare and pharmaceutical issues and think and make judgments in a logical and autonomous manner.

In order to develop pharmacists who are scientists at the same time, the educational system of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Nagasaki International University offers a curriculum that starts with the basics of pharmacy and then provides specialized courses in pharmacy and courses to develop communication skills and problem-solving skills, including graduation research. We aim to develop high-quality pharmacists who are indispensable for the protection of community-based healthcare.