Inamori Foundation to establish International Center for Ethics
and Excellence at Case
Creator of Kyoto Prize to endow new award honoring
outstanding international figures in ethics
April 11, 2005 | For more information: Susan
Griffith 216-368-1004
 A $10-million gift to Case Western Reserve University from Inamori
Foundation—founded by Kazuo Inamori, international business leader
and the founder of Kyocera Corp. and the telecommunications giant KDDI—will
enable Case to establish the Inamori International Center for Ethics
and Excellence.
“The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence
will nurture and inspire global awareness of our common humanity through
the study, teaching and practice of ethics and the pursuit of excellence
in business, technology and all other forms of human endeavor,” Edward
M. Hundert, M.D., president of Case, said. “We are extremely proud
and honored to be recognized for our compelling excellence and selected
to become the world’s leader in this important work.”
Creator of the famed Kyoto Prize—long considered the world’s
Nobel Prize for lifetime achievement in the scientific, cultural and
spiritual betterment of mankind—Inamori Foundation has designated
a portion of the gift to Case to create an Inamori Prize to annually
honor outstanding international figures in the field of ethics. The
first Inamori Prize will likely be awarded in 2008.
The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence will explore
different types of ethics to serve as a “common spiritual backbone
for humankind and strive to indicate high moral standards and universal
viewpoints,” according to Inamori. An international search for
the Inamori Professor of Ethics, who will serve as director of the center,
will begin immediately.
The center also will serve as a symbol of the university’s vision
to create a learning environment infused and engaged in activities that
focus on making the world a better place for humankind.
“The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence will
help our students, our faculty—all who touch Case Western Reserve
University—to promote the deep, continuous ethical discourse we
have made a priority,” Hundert said. “Case aspires to be
an environment that will fill the future of humankind with hope and
help students and faculty alike to achieve a transformational learning
experience.”
The center will embody Inamori’s personal philosophy, known as
the Kyocera philosophy, which is based on the idea of “pursuing
what is right for humankind.” This and two other principles moved
Dr. Inamori to establish Inamori Foundation in 1984. Those other two
concepts are: “People have no higher calling than to serve the
greater good of humankind and society” and “the future of
humanity can be assured only through the balance of scientific progress
and the spiritual maturity.”
The Kyoto Prize, also established in 1984, is the world’s premier
honor for individuals who have made significant contributions to the
progress of science, technology, advancement of civilization and enrichment
and elevation of the human spirit. The award is presented annually in
each of the following three categories: advanced technology, basic sciences
and arts and philosophy.
“The world needs genuine leaders who serve humankind through
ethical deeds rather than actions based on self-interest and selfish
desires. The need for such leaders has never been as pressing as it
is today,” Hundert said. “With the help of Dr. Kazuo Inamori,
one of the world’s most prominent proponents of ethics, we know
that we will have the resources, inspiration and passion to create a
better world for all humankind.”
In addition to the center, its director and the prize, the gift will:
- Support the creation of a new Case Campus Center,
which will house the Inamori International Center for
Ethics and Excellence as a symbol of Case’s efforts to embed
ethics at the center of the university education,
research and service missions
- Establish
the Inamori Endowed Fellowship Program, dedicated
to teaching ethics
- Provide development opportunities
in the teaching and practice of ethics for
Case faculty
- Support an International Ethics Symposium,
alternately presented at Case and in Japan,
during which the Inamori Prize for ethics will be awarded
Ethics
has long been an integral part of education and
research at Case. The university is home to one of the leading departments
of bioethics in the country and to the Center for Genetic Research in
Ethics and Law, established in 2004 with a $5.3 million gift from the
National Human Genome Research Institute. Case also is home to the Online
Ethics Center for Engineering and Science, a National Science Foundation-supported
initiative; the Center for Professional Ethics,
administered through the Case School of Law; and Case’s unique undergraduate
learning curricula, SAGES, the Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship.
Hundert is himself an experienced ethicist, having been on the faculty
of the Harvard Medical School with an appointment in psychiatry and
medical ethics. He currently holds an appointment as a professor in
the department of bioethics at the Case School of Medicine.
Inamori has recognized Case as a global leader for decades. In 1984,
Inamori chose to honor the three universities in the world with what
he considered the best ceramics groups; Case was one of those three.
As a result, Inamori endowed the Kyocera Distinguished Professorship,
which has been held since 1984 by Arthur Heuer, University Professor
in Case’s department of materials science and engineering.
Since the establishment of the endowed professorship, Inamori has visited
the Case campus on several occasions—most recently in October
2002 when he gave the first of a series of new Presidential Visiting
Scholar lectures, sponsored by the Office of the President and Provost.
His presentation, “Ethics and Leadership in the Global Perspective,” was
well received and came primarily from his best-selling book, A Passion
for Success.
“Dr. Inamori was first compelled to connect with Case because
of our expertise in engineering and has since come to realize the university
is also an international leader in humanities,” Hundert said. “This
recognition is a testament to the university’s vision investments
in liberal arts education as Case redefines the role of the research
university in the 21st century.”
About Inamori Foundation
Inamori Foundation was established in Kyoto,
Japan, in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, Founder
and Chairman Emeritus of Kyocera Corporation and Honorary Advisor of
KDDI Corporation, with his personal funds. The Foundation takes an active
role in promoting international understanding by honoring those who
contribute greatly to scientific, cultural advancement and human betterment,
supporting young researchers in Japan and providing programs for social
contributions.
The Kyoto Prize is an international award created in 1984 by Inamori
Foundation to recognize those who have contributed significantly in
the three categories of Advance Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts
and Philosophy. Each laureate receives a gold Kyoto Prize Medal and
a cash gift of 50 million yen (approximately $450,000) per category
in Kyoto on November 10 every year.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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