Tenri University Corporation, which manages Tenri University, and Tenri Yorozu-sodansho Educational Corporation, which manages Tenri Health Care University, entered into an agreement for the consolidation of the two corporations at a signing ceremony on March 30. The name of the consolidated corporation is planned to be “Tenri University Corporation.” The consolidation is expected to take effect on April 1, 2023. With the consolidation, Tenri Yorozu-sodansho Educational Corporation will be dissolved, and Tenri Health Care University’s Faculty of Medicine will be transferred to Tenri University.
Tenri University was originally established as Tenri School of Foreign Languages in 1925. The university currently has four faculties: Human Studies, Letters, International Studies, and Budo and Sport Studies. Tenri Health Care University was founded in 2012 by consolidating and reorganizing Tenri Nursing School and Tenri School of Medical Technology into a single university. The Department of Nursing Science and the Department of Clinical Laboratory Science were established under the Faculty of Medicine for the purpose of training nurses and clinical laboratory technicians at an even higher level, building on these two schools’ success in medical education.
At the signing ceremony, the discussions that had led up to this consolidation were explained. Then, Mr. Yoshitaro Fukaya, Chair of the Board of Tenri University Corporation, and Mr. Hidehiro Okumura, chairperson of the board of directors of Tenri Health Care University, signed the corporate agreement. After that, Mr. Fukaya and Mr. Okumura gave speeches. The two corporations will hold further discussions to prepare an application to submit to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for approval.
Mr. Fukaya commented: “This consolidation will enable Tenri University to enhance and develop its education and research activities in such fields as clinical psychology, social welfare, and sport medicine. Furthermore, our university will be able to expand its international exchange program. This consolidation gives hope for further improving the overall status of Tenri University, and I am truly delighted with this agreement. We will continue our discussions to develop the specifics of this consolidation.”