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Topic Reorganization of Kyushu University Of all Japan's 99 universities over the last decade, Kyushu University has promoted a particularly bold plan for reform and played a leading role in the overall process of reorganization. In 1991, the university decided to relocate two of its main campuses to a new site west of Fukuoka City. This new campus will cover an area of 275 hectares, and will be 3.5 times larger than the existing campuses, which cover 80 hectares between them. The land for this has already been purchased, a master plan has been drawn up, and preliminary construction on the site began in 2000. The process of moving to the new campus will begin in 2005 and is due to be completed by 2015. It is the largest single project currently being organized by any national university in Japan. 'Outline of Reform at Kyushu University' and the New Graduate School System In addition to the creation of a new campus, Kyushu University is now introducing a bold new reform in applying the principle of competition to the allocation of space. The 'Outline for Reform at Kyushu University' was drawn up in 1995, and this has formed the basis for internal reforms over the last six years. There are two basic concepts behind this. One is 'the formation of an international center of academic excellence in research and education.' The second is 'the construction of an independent and dynamic university open to society as a whole.' In its role as a center of academic excellence, Kyushu University has thus established four new graduate schools as part of its emphasis on becoming a research-led university. The special feature of Kyushu's reform, however, lies particularly in the second concept. Universities need to respond to changes in society by restructuring their educational and research organizations on more flexible lines. This is why the key element in the reform is 'flexible organization,' in order to systematically break down the barriers that remain a feature of Japanese universities today. The most significant feature of this reform has been to divide up the old faculties, which traditionally covered the fields of both education and research. These have now been separated into undergraduate

and graduate schools for education, and faculties for research, all of them organized to enable maximum flexibility. Secondly, we have created something called the '21st Century Program,' which is designed to break down the barriers prevalent in the old school system. This enables students to study at Kyushu without being affiliated to any one undergraduate school, so that they can move freely between academic fields. 20 students registered on this innovative new program on its launch in 2000. The New Graduate School/Graduate Faculty System Universities which have shifted their emphasis to Graduate School Education/Research Graduate School/Faculty (Education/Research Body) Undergraduate School (Education/Research Body) Kyushu University Graduate School (Education Body) Graduate Faculty (Research Body) Undergraduate School (Education/Research Body)