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2014 New Year's Address 2014.01.01

January 1, 2014
 
  My beloved Yonsei Family,
 
  The morning of the new year of the horse, 2014, has begun. As my eyes follow the radiant sun rising above the darkness, I am also making a wish for the New Year with a reverent heart. It is the moment of a new beginning to promise a beautiful and rich year ahead, after leaving behind the past year’s glory and shame.
 
  2013 laid a cornerstone for the Third Founding
 
  Looking back, Yonsei has continued its eventful journey in 2013. With many people's efforts and devotion, we marked a historical page to lay the cornerstone for the Third Founding. I have emphasized the need for Yonsei to advance its excellence in teaching and research to become a world-class university through the Third Founding, in addition to attaining dignity as a university. As a global-leading university, Yonsei has affirmed its status by ranking No. 21 on the QS World University Rankings among all private universities around the world, in addition to ranking as the best private university in Asia.
 
  In particular, we have successfully implemented the Residential College system at the Yonsei International Campus in Songdo to establish a leading model for Korea's university education. Moreover, we have succeeded in joining the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), a consortium of leading universities in the Asia Pacific region. We are also near completion of the G10 Consortium to carry out multilateral teaching programs with ten leading universities, including Princeton University, Cornell University and King's College London. Furthermore, we have greatly strengthened our global capabilities by agreeing to run summer classes with the University of Oxford, in addition to opening the Yonsei Geneva Center.
 
  In 2013, we also laid the foundations to take a leap towards becoming a truly world-class university by expanding our high-tech teaching, research and culture facilities. At the Songdo International Campus, we completed construction of the Underwood Memorial Library, Veritas Hall, Christine Chapel and the POSCO Green Building. We also dedicated the Avison Biomedical Research Center for the Yonsei University Health System and are also close to completing the new Cancer Hospital. Wonju Campus also launched emergency medical rescue helicopter services, while finally beginning to construct the long-cherished outpatient clinic and trauma center.
 
  At the Sinchon Campus, we began the long-waited extension work of the School of Business and the College of Engineering. With Booyoung Group's contributions, we began the construction of the Woojeong Residence. We are also witnessing history by transforming Baekyangro into an eco-friendly place of convergence, exchange and culture. Thankfully, more than 7,800 Yonsei-loving alumni, parents and faculty members have generously contributed about KRW 25 billion for the Baekyangro reconstruction project. With all deference, it is my deepest regret to have worried the Yonsei family in the process of actualizing the project. To increase the degree of completion, the various suggestions that have been made will be put to use after a technical analysis. We will also strive our hardest to make Baekyangro into a historical masterpiece by inviting extensive public participation and professional consultation.
 
  In addition, we have strengthened convergence research capacities by bringing more than 500 professors to participate in 50 centers and groups at the newly-opened Institute of Convergence Science. At the College of Medicine, we are leading medical education reform by switching to an absolute evaluation system from the previously used relative evaluation system. Moreover, we had an awakening year in the spirit of Yonsei's foundation and mission, as we embraced in our arms poet Yun Dong-ju's handwritten manuscript and The Heritage of the Three States previously owned by Professor Sohn Bo-gi. We also confirmed that the "teacher of our people", Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, was an alumnus of Yonsei.
 
  2014, year of new hope and challenges
 
  My beloved Yonsei family,
 
  Even in this New Year, the circumstances at home and abroad surrounding Yonsei are still quite challenging. Our school’s identity and autonomy are restricted by the uniform regulations and pluralistic political system stemming from the economic democratization policy for university education and medical services. However, Yonsei is faced with the mission of overcoming such challenges to become a world-class institution, while enhancing educational competitiveness, maximizing research capabilities and improving the quality of medical services and community services.
 
  Educational capacity as a world-leading university
 
  All world-class education shares in common a residential college program, the teaching of core humanities knowledge, and interdisciplinary education that crosses the boundaries of different academic fields. In the New Year, Yonsei will further reinforce our education system to reflect these three essential factors.
 
  First of all, 2014 will be the year when 4,000 incoming students will live out the prestigious Residential College (RC) program at the International Campus in Songdo for a full year. All indicators have shown the positive effects of RC on strengthening our education capacities. Over the past year, almost 2,400 people from all over Korea and abroad visited the International Campus to study the RC model. This year, unprecedentedly outstanding incoming students chose Yonsei, the first institution to fully implement the RC system in Korea. Once the RC education system is completed this year at the Songdo Campus, together with the Wonju Campus that first brought the RC program to Korea in 2007, Yonsei will be executing the RC education program at all of its campuses to foster global talents who can fulfill social responsibilities based on the spirit of truth and freedom.
 
  At the same time, the Yonsei International Campus will launch two interdisciplinary liberal arts programs, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) and Integrated Sciences and Engineering (ISE) at Underwood International College (UIC), for the first time in Korea. Both programs are successfully starting off by selecting the most outstanding incoming students after a competitive selection process. By 2017, UIC will be a representative world-class liberal arts college with more than 2,000 students gathered from all over the world. Concurrently, the separately-established global undergraduate program will earnestly seek out to recruit, teach and guide outstanding international students from non-English speaking regions.
 
  By utilizing the characteristics of the International Campus, which has been designated as an international education zone in 2014, we will intensify our efforts to become “Asia’s World University” and the “Hub of Asia’s University Education.” Such statements are no longer a mere dream. Through the APRU and G10 consortiums, we have greatly bolstered our global networks. The government is also starting to allow more institutional autonomy, beginning with the international education zone. Students from 94 different countries applied to Yonsei University last year, and the number will likely exceed 100 in the New Year. In the near future, we will equal the Ivy League schools as a global leading university by receiving applicants from more than 120 countries around the world.
 
  Strengthening research capacity and the graduate school’s competitiveness
 
  Yonsei is facing a critical year in 2014 to strengthen its research capacity. Striving for excellence in research is the most important basic mission as a prestigious university, without considering competition against other universities. Unfortunately, however, our research results have been rather low, in consideration of the great potential held by our school.
 
  In the New Year, we will continue to improve the system to intensify our research capacity, starting with expanding our research funding in basic research areas, as well as other areas such as human resources, compensation, research assistance and interdisciplinary research. We have also put in place a strengthened research incentive system, in addition to special appointments of emeritus professors and global scholars. To vitalize interdisciplinary research, we are not only allowing more professors to hold concurrent positions at different faculties, but also lowering the barriers between different programs, colleges and campuses. In particular, with the opening of the new Cancer Hospital, we will strive to accomplish world-class results in our core capacity of medical and life sciences, by expanding our cancer-related clinical and research capacity, in convergence with the Sinchon Campus’ life sciences system and Wonju Campus’ health and medical services.
 
  Additionally, we are planning to improve the graduate schools’ competitiveness, as they are critical in producing future-leading research outcomes. Establishing an educational community to reinforce Yonsei’s values should be done not only through the undergraduate schools, but also with the graduate schools. We plan to found a system where research excellence can lead to teaching capacity, while autonomous and creative interdisciplinary research can create future-oriented academic traditions to lead the Yonsei community and contribute to society. As a part of this initiative, we will ensure enough space for graduate students to live at the newly built Woojeong Residence to strengthen our research capacity.
 
  Moving towards a Smart Campus (SCN) and Open Campus (OCX)
 
  With the rapid development of information and communications technology (ICT) in recent years, the ecosystem of university education has also transformed. It is now time to prepare an individual place of learning, not bound by time or place, by connecting all human resources, space and assets through ICT. In the New Year, Yonsei will implement a trial service for the smart campus system and next-generation networks in all areas of teaching, culture, administration and academic information services, in addition to establishing a mobile information system that combines all four campuses. By 2015, in celebration of Yonsei’s 130th year anniversary, the world-leading Smart Campus Network (SCN) will be established across all campuses. Yonsei’s Smart Campus will not only enable the core foundation of future education such as collective intelligence, just-in-time learning and field studies, but also facilitate convergence between the different campuses.
 
  Another main driving force of transforming the university education topography is the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) network, which has been rapidly spreading with world-leading universities at the center. To face such new challenges, Yonsei is preparing for the Open Campus eXperience (OCX) project. The project will complement the previously-established YSCEC to bring an open lecture platform to make high quality content available for the public, whilst sharing with all Yonsei family the various academic, cultural and arts programs held by different institutions at Yonsei University. The OCX project will instill cultural and artistic sensibility among the Yonsei family, and amplify Yonsei’s academic achievements and social leadership. In the meantime, we will upgrade the Yonsei University Library’s U-Lounge, which had been visited by more than 13,000 foreigners over the past six years, into a convergence cultural space to maintain our international reputation and turn it into a physical space to actualize the OCX project, as well as the center of Yonsei’s educational and cultural community.
 
  Improvement of the campus space infrastructure
 
  2014 will be a year to start off various construction projects to improve the campus infrastructure. This month, the second residence building to take in approximately 2,500 students will be built at the Songdo Campus. The new Cancer Hospital building at the Yonsei University Health System will be completed by April. The long-cherished project of the Woojeong Residence will also be completed in the second semester of this year to welcome students. Other projects such as the Baekyangro reconstruction project and the construction/expansion of the School of Business and College of Engineering will be executed as planned by 2015, Yonsei’s 130th anniversary year. In addition, the College of Science will newly expand. In the second half of the year, the Jejung Residence and Beophyeon Residence will be under reconstruction.
 
  Also in the New Year, we will begin the medical and life sciences complex project to cover almost 66,116m2 of land to promote interdisciplinary research between the College of Medicine, College of Dentistry and College of Life Science and Biotechnology. This project not only represents convergence between different campuses, but will also provide an opportunity for medical and life sciences colleges to research and teach together. We are planning to complete the works by the foundation day in 2015 by gathering opinions internally and externally, while processing necessary licensing procedures accordingly.
 
  Re-establishing Yonsei’s social leadership
 
  The 21st century Korean university is a place of intellect where the two different values of academic autonomy and social responsibility need to be executed in harmony. A university is a site of academic research and teaching, while serving as a place of embrace and sharing to fulfil social responsibilities based on cultural differences, ethics and fellowship.
 
  Our Yonsei, based on its 129 years of prestigious traditions and history, shall become a source of future discussions to lead Korean society and academia. Our university shall be able to propose various plans to share the pains of the times, set the vision for our society, and advance the nation, as the most respected intellectual community in Korea. I will also strive to ensure that Yonsei fulfills its social responsibilities to receive respect from the wider community, whilst maintaining its academic excellence and affirming its dignity as a university.
 
  Yonsei community with trust and happiness
 
  My biggest wish for the New Year is that all Yonsei family members will be happier than they were last year. Last year, we saw challenging external and internal situations; and also faced difficulties inside the school. However, all difficulties come to an end and pain also bears meaning. As difficult as last year was for us, I trust that our future will shine more brightly.
 
  My respected Yonsei family,
 
  I plan to fulfill my duty as a trusted servant by carrying out all of my pledges and establishing the implementation of the Third Founding. With a renewed mind, I wish to enable Yonsei take off to become a world-class university by fulfilling all my promises and building up Yonsei’s excellence and dignity. I hope that 2014 will be a year where we can bring our minds and hearts together to build deep trust in each other. I pray that in the New Year, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7), and hope that God’s magnificent blessings will be with all of our Yonsei family.