Seian University of Art and Design, founded in 1993 and located in the city of Otsu in Shiga Prefecture, offers 19 four-year courses in the art and design field, provided through 5 departments focusing on a particular area or areas. As illustrated by our small class sizes, we do our utmost to get to know all our students and treat them as individuals, and the atmosphere on the campus is very comfortable and friendly. Our three motivating concepts are "individual guidance," "learning that guarantees expertise," and "career support". Keeping these concepts in mind at all times, we attempt to help our students realize their individual objectives, thus enabling them to contribute to society through their art—all in a beautiful learning environment in the heart of Japanese nature. We are also dedicated to bettering the regional cultural scene. This we do in various ways, such as cooperating with local governments, companies and all kinds of groups to give students opportunities to participate in society-wide projects. We also better the regional cultural scene through the Seian Art Center, known as "Campus ga Bijutsukan" (literally, Campus as an Art Museum), where art exhibitions are shown in our nine on-campus galleries, and through the Omi Multicultural Institute, which researches and communicates information about the history and culture of the surrounding region of Shiga Prefecture.