Universities relocate in chase for students

As competition among universities and colleges for student enrollment intensifies, many schools are shifting away from campuses in suburban areas to convenient locations near the heart of big cities.

In one such move, a number of universities, mostly private, are vying to purchase the former site of the state-run National Police Academy in Nakano Ward, Tokyo, since its relocation to Fuchu, western Tokyo.

The 13-hectare former site of the academy is believed to be the final plot of land remaining in the 23-ward area of the capital for large-scale redevelopment.

Nakano Ward decided in 2005 to invite a university to occupy 4.4 hectares of the central government-owned land. Like many businesses seeking large plots of land in central Tokyo for development, an increasing number of universities and colleges are keen to buy tracts of state-owned land in Tokyo that the government plans to sell.

Wards are often keen to let universities locate in the hope of upgrading the image of their community, with a university as the centerpiece. Unlike building projects such as factories and condominiums, there are rarely objections by local residents against university construction plans.

A Nakano Ward official explained that the ward has few universities, so it wants to invite a university to the former site of the police academy to help reinvigorate the area. If a university is located there, it will boost the number of young people in the area, thanks to such projects as joint industry-academy study programs and a university lecture series open to the public.
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Turning back from the suburbs

In the past, universities would have new, extensive campuses built in the suburbs to replace their modest campuses in central Tokyo.

Spearheading this trend was the move of the liberal arts school of Chuo University in 1978 from Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda Ward, to the Tama region on the western outskirts of Tokyo.

There are now more than 60 universities and college campuses in the Tama area.

For students, however, schools located close to the heart of Tokyo are attractive for finding part-time jobs and enjoying their leisure time.

In the eyes of university authorities, central locations are advantageous for attracting company employees wishing to study postgraduate courses after work.

The shift in the past of campuses moving away from central Tokyo to the suburbs has thus been reversed by a "U-turn phenomenon" to the heart of the metropolis. It seems the tendency for students to favor universities located in central Tokyo may be irreversible.

Two universities with old campuses in the vicinity of Chuo University's Kanda-Surugadai--Nihon University and Meiji University--are both having their buildings remodeled into high-rise structures, while purchasing adjacent plots of land for expansion.

University administrators say those schools with campuses in central Tokyo are likely to become more and more popular in an age of declining birthrates.

Chuo University has also adopted a U-turn policy, establishing a postgraduate school in Ichigaya, Shinjuku Ward, in 2000.

Shibaura Institute of Technology opened its new campus in Toyosu, Koto Ward, this spring.
The new campus is more than three times the size of the old campus in Shibaura, Minato Ward, in terms of area as well as floor space. Of its three vacant buildings in Shibaura, the university has sold two, while a new building is planned to be built on the remaining plot.

The university had earlier planned to accept an invitation from the city government of Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, to relocate there, but declined the offer due to difficulties in attracting enough students to a rural location.

Because of its convenient location close to JR Tamachi Station, there have been inquiries from several universities to let them use the planned building as a "satellite" arm, Shibaura Institute of Technology officials said.

Tosei Gakuen, the institute running Showa Academia Musicae, plans to close its campus in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, next April, to move to Kawasaki, following the example of Aoyama Gakuin University, which moved from the same location in 2003, chiefly because of insufficient transportation.

After its move from Atsugi to Kawasaki, the new campus of Showa Academia Musicae can now be reached from Shinjuku in 21 minutes by train, compared with the previous train journey of 46 minutes followed by a 20-minute bus ride.

A school spokesperson said, "Students and staff can now return to the new campus easily after enjoying a concert or other cultural performance in central Tokyo."

Heian Jogakuin (St. Agnes) University, a women's school in the Kansai area, closed its campus in Moriyama, near Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, in 2005, only five years after opening, due to low student numbers. The campus is now located in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, considerably more convenient than Moriyama.

However, the move was not popular with everyone and a group of students filed a complaint against school authorities over the abolition of the Moriyama campus, arguing that they have been deprived of the right to study at Moriyama.

Against this background of restructuring universities, it seems there may be more cases in which students will be "forced to move" because of the relocation of campuses.
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Schools moving into metropolis

In addition to those making "U-turns," schools moving into central Tokyo have been increasing.
Teikyo Heisei University, currently located in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, purchased a former primary school site in Toshima Ward in 2004 for 6.5 billion yen, and plans to build a 10-story school building.

Associate Professor Masako Igarashi, played a major role in finding out the site as she obtained information about the sale of the site through frequent visits to the ward office.

"We wanted to secure a plot of land within 10 minutes' walk from a JR Yamanote Line station," Igarashi said.

Prospective students want to attend a school which is convenient to their homes or located in the heart of Tokyo, she said. "Those schools situated elsewhere have trouble securing enough students," she added.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060429TDY04002.htm