University of the Ryukyus

University of the Ryukyus
琉球大学
Type	Public (national)
Established	May 22, 1950
President	Mutsumi Nishida
Administrative staff	1,265
Students	8,079
Undergraduates	7,140
Postgraduates	860
Doctoral students	330
Other students	8
Location	Nishihara, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	ASAIHL
Website	www.u-ryukyu.ac.jp

The University of the Ryukyus (琉球大学, Ryūkyū Daigaku), abbreviated to Ryūdai (琉大), is a Japanese national university in Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan. Established in 1950, it is the westernmost national university of Japan and the largest public university in Okinawa Prefecture. Located in the Senbaru neighborhood of the town of Nishihara, its campus borders both the village of Nakagusuku and the city of Ginowan.

History

Under the auspices of the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands, the University of the Ryukyus was founded as a territorial university on the site of the historic Shuri Castle in Naha on May 22, 1950. It was established under the guidance of Michigan State University. It was placed under the jurisdiction of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands in 1966.

Ryūdai became a Japanese national university on May 15, 1972, upon Okinawa's return to Japan. The university moved to its current campus between 1975 and 1984. The relocation allowed for the restoration of the castle. The university was a state-run university from 1972 until 2004, when it was reclassified as a National University Corporation after the Japanese government made changes to the national university system.

Relationships

Ryūdai has developed its own traditions of contributing to and advancing the position of the local community, of conducting international exchange, and of broadening the knowledge base of the people of Okinawa through academic and educational activities. Since 1988, Ryūdai and the University of Hawaii have had a "sister university" relationship, and have opened up centers for Okinawan studies at both universities.^[1] In January 2013, the University of the Ryukyus began a research exchange program with South Korea's Mokpo National University. The University of the Philippines Diliman had noted interest on Ryūdai since 2007 due to its research on underwater cultural landscapes.^[2]

Faculties and graduate schools

Faculties

Law and Letters
Education
Science
Medicine
Engineering
Agriculture

Graduate schools

Humanities and Social Sciences
Education
Medicine
Health Sciences
Engineering and Science
Agriculture
Law school

Inter-department institutes

Center of Molecular Biosciences
Center for Cooperative Research
Instrumental Research Center
Education and Research Center for Lifelong Learning
Computing and Networking Center

Facilities for education and research

Center for Educational Research and Development
The Institute for Animal Experiments
Manufacturing Laboratory
Subtropical Field Science Center
Educational and Clinical Center for Children with Disabilities
Research Laboratory Center
Joint-Use Inter-Department Institutes
Low Temperature Center
University Evaluation Center
Radioisotope Laboratory
University Education Center
Center for Asia-Pacific Island Studies
Language Center
Environmental Science Center

International Programs

Sister-School Programs

Partner Universities...71
Departmental Exchange Agreements...43

Student Exchanges with Partner Universities

Inbound...79
Outbound...33

Research Exchange

Outbound researchers...595
Inbound researchers...203

International Students

Undergraduates...53
Graduate...135
Auditing...23
Research...10
Special Auditing...71
Special Research...4

The Fujukan Museum

The Fujukan (風樹館) is the university's main museum. Its collection includes biological specimens from around the Ryukyus, artifacts from Shuri Castle, traditional farming tools, local crafts, folk toys, and geological samples.^[3] Some of the objects are catalogued digitally in an online database.^[4] It does not charge admission fees.^[5]

The University Museum is a successor of the Museum of Agriculture – likewise called Fujukan – founded in 1967 on the former (Shuri) campus. The current museum was built in 1985 and was known as the "Academic Museum" ((琉球大学)資料館, lit. ‘repository for [academic] resources/documents’) until 2015, when it was renamed the "University Museum" ((琉球大学)博物館).^[6]