Hokkaido University was founded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College- the nation's first institute of higher education to award bachelor's degrees. "Boys, be ambitious!," the phrase Dr. William S. Clark, the first Vice-Principal, was quoted as saying to his students before leaving Sapporo, is well known among the Japan's youth and also serves as Hokkaido University's maxim.
Hokkaido University upholds "The Frontier Spirit," "Global Perspectives," "All-round Education" and "Practical Learning" - concepts that have been developed over its history of more than 130 years as the basic philosophies of education and research. Currently, all the faculty members, students and graduates are making concerted efforts to transform their campus into a global base for education and research.
