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.

In recent years, the demand for managerial dieticians has increased. A managerial dietician, a profession requiring national certification, has expertise and techniques in food and nutrition to solve and handle various complex problems regarding food and nutrition and nutrition and health in modern society.

In the Faculty of Health Management, we provide great educational programs based on our basic philosophy, Respect for Human Beings, which has been nurtured at our university. The students will acquire a wide and deep expertise and advanced techniques in terms of a spirit of hospitality, ethics view, a sense of mission, and food and nutrition, which are required as managerial dieticians, one of the healthcare professions, through our educational programs.

Our aim is to produce managerial dieticians with a spirit of hospitality, ethics view, and a sense of mission.

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.