Compared to the last campus, it’s like day and night, said Bruce Stronach, dean of Temple University Japan.
TUJ and its 33 full-time and 120 adjunct faculty members will begin classes at their new location on Showa Women’s University campus in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo on Sept. 2 after moving from their former campus in Minato-Ku, Tokyo.
The school’s old space lacked enough space and campus life for its 1,185 undergraduate students, Stronach said.
Comprised of office buildings with narrow hallways that prevented students and faculty from intermingling, it didn’t feel like a lively campus, Stronach added.
“This is an actual campus in a neighborhood with things like used record stores, bars, restaurants and other universities in close proximity,” he said.
This is the fourth move the university has had since its founding in 1982.
The move has been a long time coming, Stronach said, with four to five serious attempts to relocate the campus since TUJ last moved 23 years ago.
TUJ is the first and oldest foreign university in Japan.
The university has signed a 20-year lease with Showa Women’s University, which owns the building. TUJ will share the campus with the college.
“We see this as a brilliant opportunity for two very different [universities] to collaborate with one another in a number of different programs to aid in the globalization of education for our students,” Stronach said.
The new space offers a cafeteria, student lounges, and meeting rooms, along with a new gym and pool, Stronach said.
Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at TUJ, said that in his 32 years of teaching, the new campus is the best he’s been at so far.
“The [former campus] was getting dowdy, and felt cramped,” Kingston wrote in an email. “The new campus is gleaming, and brighter and much cooler. I really like the library and hope to see lots of students making the most of our excellent collection on Asia.”
Theodore Lee, TUJ’s student government president, said he is most excited for all the new space the campus will provide and utilize the extra space to its full potential.
“I can’t wait for the start of the semester when the halls will be filled with students. With this campus, the possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to see it all come to life,” Lee wrote in an email to The Temple News.
Correction: The faculty size of TUJ once listed was incorrect. TUJ has 33 full-time faculty and 120 adjuncts.
Be the first to comment