世界にも例がない新しい大学づくり（Creating a new university there is no case to the world）

沖縄で世界にも例がない新しい大学づくりの挑戦が始まっている。本島中部の恩納村に昨年11月に開学した沖縄科学技術大学院大学。学生や教員の半数以上は外国人で、学内の公用語は英語。学部や学科の壁もない。国際的にも学際的にも開かれた体制を目指す。
　沖縄科技大には神経科学や生態学、計算科学など45の研究ユニットがあり、教員と研究者合わせて約200人がいる。教員47人の３分の２は外国人。ジョナサン・ドーファン学長自身も米スタンフォード大学からスカウトされた物理学者だ。
主要な実験装置は、個別の研究室でなく共用スペースに置き、みなで使う。「物理など他領域の人と自然に話ができるのが刺激的」と脳神経が専門の杉山准教授。昨夏、理化学研究所から移り初めて自分の研究室を構えた。若い准教授も教授と同等の部屋や研究スタッフを得る米国流の仕組みも特徴だ。
　ドーファン学長は「大発見はしばしば学問の境界領域で生まれ、世界の大学は学科や研究室の壁を壊すのに苦労している。沖縄には最初から壁がなく、新しい大学を目指す世界のモデルになる」と強調する。
　今秋から毎年20人ずつ大学院生の受け入れを始める。最初の２年間に専門とは異なる３つの研究室をめぐって学んでから指導教官を決める。狭い領域に閉じこもらず、英語が堪能な研究者を育てる。それは多くの日本企業が大学に求めていることでもある。
ただ、人材集めには苦労が多い。新竹教授は京都大学などで説明会を開いたが、「実績のない新設大学に飛び込んでくる若者は決して多くはない」。
　沖縄科技大は国立大学法人ではない。沖縄振興の一環として特別な法律に基づきできた私立大。
その存在は国内ではあまり知られないが、世界は注目する。　
　大学自体の変革が望まれている時期でもありますが、学科や研究室の壁がない新しい大学院大学が定着し、沖縄の発展に大きく寄与することを期待したいですね。

Challenge of building a new university in Okinawa to the world there is no case has begun. Okinawa University Graduate School of Science and Technology University was opened in November last year in the village of Onna central island. More than half of the students and faculty are foreigners, English the official language of the campus. No wall of departments and faculties. Aim a system that was also open to international interdisciplinary.Science and Technology University in Okinawa has 45 research units of ecology and neuroscience, and computational science, there are about 200 people in accordance with faculty and researchers. Two-thirds of people 47 foreign teachers. I was recruited physicist from Stanford University President Jonathan Dauphin himself.The main experimental apparatus is placed in a shared space rather than a separate laboratory, used by everyone. Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Sugiyama, specializing in "stimulating it can talk to people and nature of the area, such as" physical. Last summer, he set up his first move from the laboratory of RIKEN. It also features a flow mechanism of the United States get a room or equivalent research staff and also Professor Associate Professor young.Breakthrough "Rector was born in Dauphin is often the academic boundary region, the world's universities are struggling to break the wall of the department and laboratory. In Okinawa, there is no wall from the beginning, a new model of the world aimed at the University of emphasizes that "to be.Begin to accept 20 people each graduate every year from this fall. Determine the instructor learned from over three laboratory specializing in the first two years are different. Tojikomora not narrow area, researchers grow fluent English. It is also that many Japanese companies are looking to college.However, human resources are often hard to collect. Although the new bamboo Professor opened the meeting, such as described in the Kyoto University, "young people do not come to her new college is not many never proven."Science and Technology University, National University of Okinawa is not a corporation. Private university was based on a special law as part of Okinawa.Its existence is not widely known in the country, the world will notice.
There is still time transformation of the university itself has been demanded, I would like to hope that the new graduate university research departments and there is no wall of the chamber is here to stay, to contribute significantly to the development of Okinawa.