Announcement of Decision to Cease Recruiting Students 2009.06.06
Announcement of the decision to cease recruiting new students at St. Thomas
(formerly Eichi) University
St. Thomas University (both graduate and undergraduate divisions) will not recruit
new students for admission in April 2010 and beyond.
St. Thomas University was established in 1962 as Eichi Junior College, Department of
Religious Studies, with a mission to “educate people who would be independent and have the wisdom
and power needed to reach the truth.” In the following year, it became Eichi University, Faculty of
Theology. In 1964 the Faculty of Letters was established. The Graduate School of Human Sciences was
added in 1996. In 2007, upon being accepted into the International Council of the Universities of
St. Thomas Aquinas, which greatly increased the possibilities for international exchange with
Universities of St. Thomas around the world, the name was changed to St. Thomas University.
Furthermore, in 2008, the Faculty of Letters was reorganized as the Faculty of Interpersonal and
Cross-cultural Understanding, with the expectation of further developing the university’s
educational mission. Altogether the university (including its days as a junior college) has sent
out around 10,000 graduates into the world, and has made great efforts to be seen as playing an
essential role in society.
However, with the effects of the fall in Japan’s birth rate and other factors, the
number of applicants has decreased each year. In recent years, the educational environment around
the university has suddenly become extremely difficult.
All parts of the university have made great efforts to devise ways to keep the
operation of the university on a sound footing, but we were unable to overcome the current harsh
economic and social climate. The sharp decrease in the number of students enrolled, combined with
the present downturn in the economy, has made it difficult to continue research and educational
activities at this university. We apologize deeply and sincerely for the decision we have had to
take.
From now on we will give the highest priority to providing an even better
educational environment for the students currently in our care and to making even greater efforts
to help them to find positions in society after they leave us.
We thank all our students and graduates, their parents, all those with a connection
to our university and everyone in the local area for their kind consideration over the years, ask
for their understanding of our decision to cease recruiting students, and request that they
continue their help and support for us into the future.
Takehiko Oda,
President, St. Thomas University
June, 2009
