Lecture and Dialogue Event with Monte CASSIM, President of Akita International University

On Monday, April 27, 2026, a lecture and dialogue event by President Monte Cassim was held in Building D, Room 101.

This event was designed primarily for first-year students who had just arrived on campus in April. Its purpose was to provide an opportunity for them to reflect on the significance of university life at AIU, to ease the mix of anxiety and anticipation that often accompanies the beginning of college, and to encourage them to think more deeply about their own learning goals through dialogue. A total of 19 students, faculty, and staff participated.

The event began with President Cassim’s keynote speech titled “AIU TOMORROW – a dialog with students.”

He emphasized once again the essence of liberal arts education, while also touching on the social issues facing Akita and the new research initiatives currently being conceptualized. When a student asked, “What does it mean to be an AIU student?”, the president immediately replied, “Fearless,” expressing his strong hope that each student will take initiative and design their own learning journey.

During the following dialogue session, participants formed small groups for discussion, and the president responded directly to the questions that emerged. Students raised a wide range of topics, such as: “What approaches are necessary for each AIU student to deepen their expertise?”, “Could expanding intercollegiate clubs and increasing interactions with other universities contribute to giving back to the local community?”, and “What is the significance of Applied International Liberal Arts (AILA), the core of the AIU curriculum, and what led to its subdivision?”

Students shared comments such as, “I strongly felt the importance of cultivating the attitude to deepen my own learning and to remain humble in learning from anyone,” and “I’m excited about AIU’s evolution. I want to dive into this change and play a role in connecting it to the AIU of the future.”