, colloquially abbreviated to , is a private non-sectarian and coeducational university located in Nishinomiya, Sanda, Osaka City, and Tokyo, Japan.

Chartered in 1932, it is the 13th institution with university status in Kansai region, the 23rd-oldest outside the Greater Tokyo, and the 46th-oldest in the country.

Kwansei Gakuin University is one of the four leading private universities in the Kansai region of Japan (other three are Doshisha University, Ritsumeikan University, and Kansai University). It should not be confused with , an entirely separate university in Suita, Osaka.

History

Overview

Kwansei Gakuin University

Harada-no-mori Campus

Branch Memorial Chapel

Then its expansion accelerated as an institution of higher education, especially after Kwansei gakuin was under the joint control 'of MEC-S and the Canadian Methodist Church in 1911. The school then transferred to finally its present Nishinomiya-Uegahara campus near Mount Kabuto in 1929.

Nishinomiya-Uegahara Campus

The school, formerly all-male, opened its doors to women on equal terms with men in 1943.

International relations

Kwansei Gakuin University has several agreements with the United Nations subordinates. The university and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) reached an agreement establishing the university as the first institution of higher education in Asia to form a volunteer-sending partnership with the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) in 2003.

KGU and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Japan concluded an agreement to establish a special university scholarship system for refugees in Japan in May 2006. Under this agreement, Kwansei Gakuin started the UNHCR-KGU Higher Education Program for Refugees in Japan in April 2007, and two refugees are currently enrolled.

Campus

Since 1929, the flagship campus of Kwansei Gakuin University is located in Nishinomiya, Hy?go, with two smaller campuses in Sanda, Hy?go and downtown Osaka City (Umeda).

• Nishinomiya-Uegahara Campus (1929-present)
• Kobe-Sanda Campus (1995-present)
• Osaka-Umeda Campus (2004-present)
• Tokyo-Marunouchi Campus (2007-present)

Academics and Organization

Faculty and Students

Kwansei Gakuin University hosts more than 300 international students from a variety of nations.

Athletics, Clubs, Sports, and Traditions

Athletics

Kwansei gakuin has one of the most diverse varsity athletic programs in Japan, and its 34 varsity teams that compete in regional collegiate leagues. Although the school, unlike other private universities in the country, does not offer specific scholarships for student-athletes, it is still competitive with the top echelon of Japanese collegiate teams in the sports of American football, basketball, lacrosse and soccer.

Kwansei Gakuin University is a member of , which was restructured in 1982. The school was recognized as one of for about three decades until KG was often excluded from the League, then Kansai Region's premium collegiate baseball league, in 1970s.

KG is currently best known for its American football team, as known as Fighters, dominating the Division I League of Kansai Collegiate American Football Association with a total of 46 league titles, 22 national collegiate titles, and 1 national title from 1948-2005 seasons. Kwansei gakuin, Kyoto and Ritsumeikan have battled for American football dominance in the league for the last fifteen years.

The school's traditional athletic rivalry with Kansai University is intense again in every sport since the two institutions started , which is less known than Keio-Waseda rivalry in the country's college athletics, in 1978. Kwansei gakuin ties the series, 14-14 for the past three years running.

Kwansei gakuin has several athletic facilities including the 3rd Field (for), one of the first American football fields in the country, the Soccer Field, and the General Gymnasium.

KG athletics are supported by the Traditional Cheerleading Team, the Brass Band, and the Cheerleading Team of Kwansei Gakuin University Cheerleading Division. The division's three teams attend every American football game throughout the fall, as well as most baseball games throughout the spring. The school's unofficial mascot was used to be "Kwangaku eitoman", the popular cartoon/animation character 8th Man in 1960s. Kwansei gakuin has several fight songs, the most played of which, especially at American football games, are "Shingetsu-ki no moto ni", "Fight on Kwansei", and "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man".

In addition to KG's varsity athletics, a wide variety of clubs and intramural sports teams have been organized as student organizations under the auspices of the Division of Students. Most of the club and intramural sports are coed.

School name

The name came from its founder Walter Russell Lambuth's desire to serve citizens of , the western part of Japan, while the word was translated from "college" at that time. Thus, Kwansei gakuin means West Japan College literally.

The name was romanized according to the vogue pronunciation among progressive students in the late 19th century. The "official" pronunciation of kwan can be heard in performances of the school song, but the modern pronunciation of kan is usual in other contexts. Thus, the abbreviated name Kwangaku is usually pronounced as kangaku, though Kwangaku would be correct in theory.

Noted Faculty

Noted Alumni/ae

Notes

External links

• Official site

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