“One Kobe Family” is the motto of the Kobe University Alumni Association, which was established in 2022. It aims to create a network that includes alums, current students and their families, faculty and staff, and all other people associated with Kobe University.
The first president of the association is SAKAI Shinya, an honorary advisor of Hanshin Electric Railway Co. Ltd., who graduated from the Faculty of Economics in 1970 and served as a representative director of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc. He is also known for having been the owner of the professional baseball team, Hanshin Tigers, for about 10 years from 2008.
Kobe University currently boasts 10 faculties, 15 graduate schools, and one research institute, attracting a wide range of talents as a comprehensive university. However, the university has a background of various changes since its predecessor schools in the Meiji era, and alum associations are organized by each faculty. In addition, the fact that campuses are scattered throughout the city has been pointed out as a problem that makes it difficult to see the unified color of the university.
“I have always thought that we need to create a sense of university unity,” said Sakai. He once declined the position of president of the Alumni Association, but eventually accepted the position, saying, “If I can be of help, I will be”. He says, “There are issues to be addressed, such as coordinating with the alum associations of each faculty, but first of all, I focused on the purpose of the association, which is to create a sense of university unity.”
Becoming an organization that supports the future of young people
As for the role of the Alumni Association, Sakai places particular emphasis on supporting the future of young people.
“Alum associations tend to be a place to share and exchange past experiences, but I see the Alumni Association as a place to create and expand human networks for the future, a place to create experiences, so to speak. I would like the Alumni Association to be an organization where alums encourage young people to play an active role and that, consequently, contributes to society,” he says.
The Alumni Association has been in existence for about a year and a half. The association has been building the foundation for networking by co-sponsoring, together with the university, the annual Homecoming Day in October and the “Gathering of Kobe University Graduates” where university executives and alums exchange opinions. In addition, it focuses on fostering a sense of unity that transcends the boundaries between current students and alums. For instance, it supports extracurricular student activity groups by positioning their events as university-wide welcome events for new students, such as the American Football Club’s intercollegiate games in the academic years of 2023 and 2024.
However, full-scale activity expansion is yet to come. Sakai imagines an idea that is not bound by frames, saying, “Isn’t it the role of the Alumni Association to do what the university can’t do?”
“For example, when a problem arises at the university, we could provide a place where students can freely exchange opinions. Alums could facilitate these discussions. I believe new ideas for solving a problem will emerge through such free discussions.”
The network is the asset
In addition to individual members such as alums and current students, the Alumni Association plans to actively invite companies and organizations to join as supporting members.
The most powerful force behind this call will be the personal network of alums. Sakai himself is a genuine Kobe native, who was born and raised in Kobe, and studied at Kobe High School and Kobe University. Even after starting to work, he has always been based in the Kansai region, and the breadth of his network is immeasurable.
He says, “When I was a president of Hanshin Electric Railway, I was helped by Kobe University alums in various industries.” He was appointed as a president in June 2006, just before the company’s business merger with Hankyu Holdings Inc. It was a time of unprecedented integration of major private railway companies, triggered by the acquisition of a large number of Hanshin Electric Railway shares by an investment fund. During this difficult time, he was supported by alums both inside and outside the company.
“Many Kobe University graduates are not pretentious, they look at reality and respond. They look at the end point of the problem and try to find a realistic solution. They are flexible. They don’t insist too much, but they don’t give up either,” he laughs.
The nature of such graduates may be in line with the university’s founding philosophy of “harmony of theory and practice.” And that human network can be said to be the treasure of Kobe University.
The connection with the university is unbroken
In the late 1960s, when Sakai was a student, the campus was in the midst of a university conflict. The school buildings were barricaded with desks and lockers piled up, and there were days without classes. He was aiming to become a certified public accountant, but it was not a time for studying, and even the whole school graduation ceremony was cancelled when he graduated in 1970.
“I didn’t have a diploma or an academic transcript, and I didn’t even know if I had really graduated. After joining Hanshin Electric Railway, the human resources department inquired about my qualifications, so I called the university and asked, ‘Did I graduate?’ That’s how I confirmed my graduation,” he laughs.
In 2022, when the university celebrated its 120th anniversary, a “phantom graduation ceremony” for the graduates of 1970 was held on Rokko-dai Campus, and Sakai served as the representative of the executive committee. More than 50 years have passed since his graduation, but even during all that time, his connections with the university and his ties with fellow alums have remained unbroken.
“I have been helped by and learned from many people. The expansion of connections is thanks to the university,” looking back on those chaotic times, he speaks with a gentle smile.
Now, he devotes himself to the future of the university as president of the Alumni Association by converting his gratitude into encouragement for the next generation.
Profile
SAKAI Shinya was born in Kobe in 1948 and graduated from the Faculty of Economics in 1970. He joined Hanshin Electric Railway Co. Ltd. in the same year. He decided to join the company right before his graduation at the invitation of a friend. He has served as the president of Hanshin Electric Railway, the representative director of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, and the chairman of the board and the owner of the Hanshin Tigers, etc. He has been the chairman of the Kobe University Alumni Association since December 2022. He resides in Kobe City.
The Kobe University Alumni Association
The Kobe University Alumni Association is a university-wide network whose members include alums, current students and their families, faculty and staff, and others who are not members of undergraduate alum associations. In addition to member exchanges, the association supports Kobe University’s research, education, and social contribution activities, and aims to promote the university’s development and enhance its brand value.
The association is also making efforts to promote the use of “KU-Net” which is a university-operated online tool to connect alums and current students, and currently has about 14,000 registered members.
