“I will lay the groundwork for a new leap forward, inheriting the tradition of Hanyang University.”
Inaugural address of president Kim Woo-seung, appointed as the new president at the '15th president's inauguration' held at the Paiknam Music Hall.
- The inaugural address of the 15th president of Hanyang University
I feel a heavy responsibility and great calling today as I am inaugurated as the 15th president of Hanyang University. I feel this way because we must strive to continue to develop the dedication and brilliant achievements of our predecessors, including our esteemed, former president, Lee Young-moo, and create a driving force for innovation and harmony. I am here in prayer for Hanyang's rigorous call to cultivate talented individuals with a global mindset who are of the right character in order to make it a world class university that is based on education and research that can lead the future.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Hanyang Foundation Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Kim Chong-ryang, the president of the Hanyang Alumni Association, Son Yong-geun, the president of POSTECH, Kim Do-yeon, President of Seoul Women's University, Chun Hei-jung and to all the honorable guests who have made their presence here today. I am also deeply grateful to all the members of Hanyang who believed in me and prayed for me, as well as to the directors of the Hanyang Foundation.
Universities are facing unprecedented changes and challenges. From absolute threats, such as the rapid decline in the school age population and financial difficulties, to changes in the education system required in the digital age, and advanced information and communication technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and mobile are converging across the economy and society and are pressing for a change in the education paradigm. In addition, global competition with world-class universities is accelerating, and the gap between those universities is widening.
I believe that the key to Harvard and Stanford University’s sustainable growth while maintaining their prestige as the world’s most prestigious university is because of their educational investment and research innovations for future generations by taking advantage of their large donation funds.
Established in 1974, the Harvard Management Company currently has 200 employees running a donation of about $37.1 billion, or about 42 trillion won, and they transfer those funds to the university every year. In 2017, about $1.8 billion was transferred to the university and about 2 trillion won was spent on education and research.
Founded in 1991, the Stanford Management Company has 69 employees and currently operates a donation of about $24.8 billion, approximately 28 trillion won. They transferred $1.2 billion, or approximately, 1.35 trillion won to the university in 2017.
From the standpoint of Korean universities that have to compete with world-class universities, the reality is somewhat gloomy in terms of finance, considering that it is an important factor for the development of universities. However, it seems that the time given to us is not enough to blame the environment and the duty given to us is heavy.
In addition, the challenges of innovative edu-tech, such as the University of Minerva, MOOC, Coursera, Udacity, Edx, are only growing. The bigger problem is that these systemic changes are only just the beginning.
However, when we look back at the past 80 years of Hanyang, change and challenge have always been the driving force of our university. As the demands and challenges of change increase, we have proactively responded by leading in dynamic innovations to make rapid progress. In the Chinese classics <Book of Changes, 周易>, everything living changes. The only thing that does not change are those that are dead. Education is a competitive education when it is alive and constantly communicating with the world and constantly reconfiguring its own status and values.
In this context, we must inherit the tradition of Hanyang, which has led practical academic trends, industry-academic cooperation, and educational innovation, and create a creative dynamic of flexible and open practicality that can lead the future society.
Dear Hanyang family,
I have learned and grown with Hanyang in the last 40 years. Hanyang has always supported the strength of my integrity rather than my lack thereof, and my passion rather than my flaws, and this trust allowed me to grow. Through this process of growth, I was happier than anyone else in Hanyang. Looking back, the happy moments were mostly when the Hanyang family gathered together to run fearlessly and happily challenging things. Now as the 15th president of Hanyang University, I am going to take you on a new challenge. It is going to be a milestone in realizing the dream of 100 years beyond the past 80 years.
The spirit that has sustained and led to the 80-year history of Hanyang is ‘Love in Deed and Truth.’ The history of our Hanyang education was a history of nurturing the practitioners of this motto. ‘Love in Deed and Truth’ is the core value of what makes Hanyang University what it is. I would like to stand in this solemn position today with a very important mission and role to share with you the direction of our Hanyang, which is based on the spirit of "Love in Deed and Truth," and on the things that we should do together.
First, we will implement practical education, research and industry cooperation to lead global competition through realizing Hanyang's value.
We are going to make it possible in realizing the education that only Hanyang can achieve. We will enhance and diversify the industry-academic cooperation based on practical academics that Hanyang has been successfully accomplishing. Here, the concept of‘industry’deviates from the existing industry that is centered on engineering, expanding to society, so as to realize Hanyang's practical academy communicating with society through the industry-academic cooperation and research innovation including the department of humanities and the department of arts and physical education.
In addition, we will make educational content, teaching methods, and the educational environment for fostering 'creative talents with the ability to find and solve problems' and cultivate those who can lead the change in society.
Second, I will pursue the co-development under the big name of Hanyang. The co-development that I am talking about is encompassing both the Seoul and ERICA Campus, the undergraduate and graduate schools, the science and engineering communities, and the humanities.
In order to create synergies and foster partnership development on both campuses, we will explore the areas of mutual cooperation on both campuses and gather wisdom to create synergy.
For the co-development of undergraduate and graduate schools, we will actively develop programs that can link the internalization of undergraduate education with the excellence in graduate level research to realize a global research-oriented university.
In recognition of the importance of the humanities, the bedrock in building the so-called 4C capacity required by individuals for the 4th Industrial Revolution, we will establish the Hanyang Humanities Promotion Center, which is specialized for co-development of the science and the humanities and social circles. This will enhance the ability as think tanks in humanities and stimulate interdisciplinary fusion research based on humanistic imagination.
Third, we will realize the future of Hanyang with sincerity through sustainable innovation. Sustainability must be secured with sincerity, and sustainability must be evaluated as a genuine effort. The future of Hanyang that I want to open with you is on authenticity and sustainability. We will also strive to create a happy campus where university members are respected with empathy and communication. We will expand the culture of mutual consideration and respect among our members, such as professors/staff members/alumni/students, collect and share diverse opinions, and strengthen communication through feedback.
Fourth, I will prepare for the succession and development of the 3S strategy prepared by the Hanyang Future Committee in order to suggest a development direction for the 100 year anniversary of Hanyang amid various problems faced by the university.
The 3S strategy is to implement a Smart University that creates creative achievements through education and research, a Startup University that contributes to national growth, and a Social Innovation University that changes the world.
My beloved Hanyang family,
Any promise that is not realistic is meaningless. The strength of reality is severe enough. I will think based on reality thoroughly. However, that does not mean that we are only considering our current capabilities. Our job is to combine ‘what we want to do’, ‘what we have to do’, and ‘what we can do.’
People who fail first are the first to think of what they can do. Nevertheless, those who are successful say it does not matter whether they want to do it or not or whether they are able to do it. Because if you can not do it now, you will try to do it yourself. Because if you can not do it now, you will try to do it yourself.
Dear Hanyang family members and distinguished guests!
I'm standing here with this prayer. As the old saying goes, "If you gather your heart, you will be able to help." I was moved and encouraged by the support of the Hanyang family and the encouragement of the guests who are here today. With support and encouragement, I will strive for the future by practicing with Hanyang’s history based on sincerity and sustainability. I promise to take the Bible verse, “All things work together to make good” into my heart and devote my whole energy to the development of the Hanyang community.
Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility. German pastor and theologian, Bonhoeffer said, 'Practice comes from preparing for accountability, not coming out of thought!.’ As it indicates, preparing for the future is not easy.
I promise to take the Bible verse, “All things work together to make good” into my heart and devote my whole energy to the development of the Hanyang community.
Thank you.
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