What's New from the Secretariat


Beginning in September 2003, we started publishing “What's New from the Secretariat”on the web site in order to report on the monthly meetings of our Executive Committee. The composition of the Executive Committee can be seen using the “Staff and Responsibilities” on the top page of the web site. Through “What's New from the Secretariat,” we hope to provide you with details of what's happening in the program as a whole, and what progress has been made.
March 2007	State of budget execution, symposium sponsored by the Science Council of Japan, publication of the outcomes of the Program, transfer of functions of the AreaInfo server, management of books, publication of the Final Report of the Program, toward the ending of the Program
February 2007	State of progress of the Final Report of the Program, Symposium: Frontiers of Area Studies, preparation of Issue No. 6-2 of Asian and African Area Studies
January 2007	Plans for the Field Stations after the completion of the Program, state of budget execution and redistribution, analysis of accesses to the Website, production of DVD of Website contents, changing custody of the equipment, preparations for the final report
December 2006	Final Report, development and continuation of Field Stations
November 2006	Allocation of additional budget, results of the external review, report from the Kyoto Symposium, final report and conversion of the website contents onto DVD, symposium held by Science Council of Japan
October 2006	Application for additional budget, Network Section workshop, upcoming Kyoto Symposium, high marks for the website and DVD version of the website, implementation of external review, reallocation of budget, continuation of the 21st Century COE Program
September 2006	Workshop on "Inter-networking in Area Studies: Results and Foresights," "Kyoto University 21st Century COE Forum," Preparations for Symposium on "Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries and Re-visioning Area Studies," External Review of 21st Century COE Program
July 2006	Completion of book by Mamo Hebo, status of preparations for Kyoto Symposium, Kyoto University International Symposium, Initiative for Attractive Education in Graduate Schools
June 2006	Report from the meeting of 21st Century COE program leaders, collection of works in Arabic, Network Section symposium, state of progress of the Kyoto Symposium, updating of website and activities for the final year, assistance for the publication of outcomes, role of the new assistant professor
May 2006	Special issue of Asian and African Area Studies with papers by graduate students, workshop by the Network Section, progress report on the Kyoto Symposium, the post 21st Century COE Program, hiring of a COE researcher, toward the formulation of a final report of the program
April 2006	State of budget execution, special issue of Asian and African Area Studies for the 21st Century COE Program, workshop for outcome reports by the Network Section, coming opening of the website for the International Symposium to be held in November, websites for the Zambia and Tanzania FSs opened, changes in the personnel of the 21st Century COE Program
March 2006	State of budget execution, change of staff members, application for the FY2006 grant and FY2006 budget plan, plans for the final fiscal year of the Program, International Symposium and Satellite Workshops, recruitment of a COE researcher and plans to dispatch students
February 2006	The state of budget execution, FY2006 operation plans for the Field Stations, symposium by the Network Section, Satellite Workshop, Website renewal plan, FY2006 budget plan, special issue of Asian and African Area Studies on the 21st Century COE Program
January 2006	State of budget execution, questionnaire survey on the 21st Century COE Program, awards won by NAKAJIMA Takeshi, preparations for the International Symposium, updating and future plans for the website, redistribution of the FY2005 budget, budget formulation plan for FY2006.
December 2005	Report of the Bangkok Symposium, report of the study tour, state of preparations for the International Symposium to be held in the final year of the Program, introduction of this Program on other websites, budget drafting and other important issues for the next fiscal year, etc.
November 2005	New Secretariat staff, state of budget execution, report of the Kyoto Workshop, the Bangkok Symposium, International Symposium in the final fiscal year of the Program and its satellite sessions, updating of the website, International Workshop on East Africa, post-21st Century COE Program, etc.
October 2005	Publication of the outcome of the Graduate Student Workshop, state of preparations for the Bangkok Symposium, proposed concrete plan for the International Symposium to be held in the final year of the Program, a decision on graduate students to be dispatched to FSs in the latter half of FY2005, change of the head of the South Asia field station, etc.
September 2005	State of budget execution, publication of research outcomes, Bangkok Symposium, symposium for the final fiscal year of the program, recruitment of a part-time staff member, updating of the website, links with the Center for Integrated Area Studies, etc.
July 2005	The state of budget execution, use of funds for overhead costs, completion of The Common Marine Plants of Southern Vietnam, preparations for the International Symposium to be held in Thailand, beginning of recruitment of graduate students to be dispatched to FSs in the latter half of FY2005, International Symposium in the final year of the Program, etc.
May 2005	Allocation of budget for the first quarter, preparations for the International Symposium in Thailand, uploading of video on fieldwork, new Library Section head, etc.
April 2005	FY2004 budget execution and FY2005 budget, publication plan for the Graduate Student Workshop, Kyoto University Symposium, state of website accesses, International Symposium for the final year of the Program, support for domestic seminars, etc.
March 2005	Plans for a book based on the fieldwork workshop, poster session and study tour with the International Symposium, decisions on COE researchers & graduate students to be dispatched to FSs, leader's farewell words, etc.
February 2005	Reprint of report published on the Website, recruitment of COE researchers and graduate students to be dispatched in the first semester of FY2005, redistribution of the reserve funds, FY2005 budget, changes in core members of the program, etc.
January 2005	Field station activity reports, the International Symposium to be held next November, new administrative system, inclusion of animations on the website, incorporation of the perspective of comparative area studies, etc.
December 2004	Announcement of the results of the mid-term evaluation, execution of the FY2004 budget, budget preparations for FY2005, workshops in Myanmar and Laos, etc.
November 2004	Report on the results of the graduate student workshop, the International Symposium to be held next fiscal year, public opening of new Japanese website, use of funds returned from CAAS, etc.
October 2004	Final preparations for the Kyoto Workshop, major revisions to the design of the front page of the Japanese website, return of funds from the Center for African Area Studies, etc.
September 2004	Outline of graduate student workshop, dispatch of graduate students to FSs in the latter half of FY2004, launch of English eNewsletter, international symposium for next fiscal year, etc.
July 2004	Graduate student workshop in October, impending major revision of the design of the top- page of the website, beginning of recruitment of graduate students to be dispatched to FSs in the latter half of FY2004, etc.
June 2004	Some changes in the remuneration scheme for administrative assistants, work flow of reports of graduate students dispatched to FSs, new proposal regarding next year’s international symposium, etc.
May 2004	Results of the hearing for the mid-term evaluation, updating of the website, plans for the international symposium in the final year, publication of catalog of Arabic-language journals, etc.
April 2004	Final report on budget execution for FY2003, plans for the FY2006 international symposium, preparations for the impending mid-term evaluation hearing, access statistics on the website, etc.
March 2004	Information about meta-database, plans for an international workshop for FY2005, budget preparations for FY2004, selection of graduate students and COE researchers to be dispatched to FSs in FY2004, etc.
February 2004	Review of the organizational structure and future plans of the program, Part 2, decision on the COE researcher for the Laos FS, new organizational set-up for the upcoming fiscal year, etc.
January 2004	Review of the organizational structure and future plans of the program, Part 1, visit by staff from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), going “our way” on the website , etc.
December 2003	Execution of the FY2003 budget, outlook for an impending interim evaluation, a plan for the establishment of a Center for Integrated Area Studies (formerly named Area Studies Information Center), etc.
November 2003	Reports on the completion of the international workshop in Ethiopia, subscription targets to our mail magazine, and the outline of the workshop to be held next year in Japan, etc.
October 2003	Reports on research and on-site education activities from 14 field stations, the launching of our on-line mail magazine, and our plans for workshops and international symposiums in the future, etc.
September 2003	Reports on preparations for the October workshop in Ethiopia, new appointments to our Program, etc.