March 16, 2012
Introduction
Good morning/afternoon... this is our first meeting where I stand before you as President. 41 years ago, I was a freshman sitting where you are sitting, taking part in Chapel as a new student in the Economics Department. I spent many years walking up and down Baekyang-ro, deep in my own dreams. I came back to Yonsei as a professor in 1986, with the privilege of teaching you to dream. Now, after 26 years as a professor, I come to this Chapel as your President.
I am sure that you are all beginning the new semester with many activities, schoolwork, and friends. I hope that amidst these experiences at Yonsei, you will not forget to ask yourselves some basic questions, questions regarding the purpose of a Yonsei University education. After four years, when you graduate, how will Yonsei have transformed you and your classmates who are standing here today?
I have been asking these same questions, in order to think about what kind of student Yonsei University wishes to produce, and the kind of educational vision that Yonsei University should hold. I would like to share some of my ideas about the core values of a university education today, as well as to let you know about my plans for Yonsei University's growth and advancement over the next few years.
Yonsei's History and Spirit
Recently, since I have become President, you may have heard, here and there, about the “Third Founding” of Yonsei University. This is a concept that I have been using quite frequently since my inauguration in February, and is central to my vision for the future of Yonsei University. I hope that you will share with me my hopes for Yonsei University's “Third Founding” before the end of this Chapel.
The first and second foundings of Yonsei University take us back into history.
The “First Founding” of Yonsei began 127 years ago with the royal decree that established Kwanghyewon (“Wide Relief House”), the forerunner of Severance Hospital and Korea's first modern medical facility. Kwanghyewon later became Jejoongwon. In 1886, Dr. Horace Allen commenced training 16 students marking the beginning of Western medical education, while Chosun Christian College's founding in 1905 by Horace Grant Underwood, later renamed Yonhi College, heralded the onset of modern secondary education. These two institutions pioneered the modernization of Korea during its most turbulent era.
The 127 years of Yonsei's history testify to extraordinary contributions by many people, including founding missionary Dr. Horace Grant Underwood and founding doctor Dr. Horace Newton Allen.
Dr. Underwood was age 26, not much older than all of you here today, when he first arrived in Korea via Incheon port. What might Dr. Underwood have thought as he described Chosun as a “stubbornly stained darkness” with people “chained with poverty and superstition”? And yet he had hope for Korea. His famous prayer indicates how he felt about this country at the time: “O Lord, I can't see anything right now. But, Lord, I know that you will soon turn this dry and barren land into a blessed land.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Allen was a young physician who was called to attend upon Min Young Ik, King Gojong's brother-in-law. By saving Queen Min's brother's life, Dr. Allen was able to become the King's doctor. As the King's doctor, Dr. Allen convinced King Gojong that Chosun needed Western doctors, and this subsequently led to the creation of Kwanghyewon, a hospital that received royal financing and support.
The “second founding” comes with the merger of Yonhi College and Severance Medical School into Yonsei University in 1957 and the establishment of the Wonju Campus in 1972. 55 years ago, the creation of “Yonsei University” contained a public statement that we would reach out to the world. The name “Yonsei” did not merely merge two syllables but added a new meaning in the new name for our institution. The “Yon” of Yonsei means “reach out,” and “sei” means “the world.” “Yonsei” literally means “to reach out to the world,” and Yonsei's founders were already thinking of the internationalization that is so important to our future today.
Both the first and the second foundings were significant periods of growth, change, and new campuses for Yonsei University. We are entering the period of what I call Yonsei University's “third founding.” Central to this “third founding” is the Yonsei International Campus at Incheon. Yonsei International Campus has been a major project in expanding our campus and taking us into the next new era. YIC's significance does not lie merely in an expansion of Yonsei's physical campus. YIC's location at Incheon is a testament to the past and the future and a land of miracles. YIC is built on a landfill, itself a miracle of turning water into solid ground. It is a vanguard of Yonsei's globalization and of digital technology, and will serve as the foundation of Yonsei's growth into Asia's World University.
At the same time, Incheon goes back to our origins, since it is the soil upon which Dr. Underwood first set foot in Korea. As we honor our founding spirit and philosophy, Incheon becomes an appropriate site for our “third founding.”
At Yonsei International Campus, we are introducing a Residential College system, a central component of world class universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Oxford. The Residential College will integrate living and learning, where faculty and students interact at a deeper level, students of all social and cultural backgrounds learn to appreciate diversity, and communication and cooperation are fostered.
Our university's mission must to be nurture students who are considerate and respectful of differences, bring light to the darkest corners of society, and promote social cooperation. The holistic education of a Residential College integrates the intellectual, moral, and spiritual aspects of education, providing a new model for internationalized higher education in Korea.
Meanwhile, during my time as President, I would like to improve our position as a university by a “Back to the Basics” focus on the highest-quality education for you, and for all students at Yonsei University. We hope to become recognized internationally as having the absolute best caliber education in Korea, in Asia, and in the world.
Cultivation of Global Leaders
My focus on education means that we must devote all our energies, here at Yonsei, on cultivating global leaders. What exactly are the qualities that are most important for Yonseians, for the global leaders that I would like all of you to become? Personally, being a Yonseian holds a wealth of meaning. I'd like to share with you what I believe are the most important aspects. In the time that you have left in college, I hope that you will focus on the following “5 C's,” what I call the Yonsei Global Basics. The 5 C's are Communication, Creativity, Convergence, Cultural Diversity, and Christian Leadership.
The first “C”: communication. Communication involves not only language and the ability to listen to and speak with others but also the empathy and strong personal qualities that enable you to be a good communicator. In order to communicate well, you need to be able to truly understand and connect with others, even with those who hold very different views. From now on, try to use not only your voice but also your ears and your hearts when communicating with others. Communication is not just about conveying your ideas and thoughts; it is also about listening and empathizing with others so that your counterpart feels that his or her voice has been heard.
The second “C”: creativity. The ability to think in new and innovative ways is critical in all fields today. New and creative ideas give color, depth and dimension to everyday, mundane things. Creativity drives inventions and positive change, and permits us to grow in new directions. Without new ideas, the world would be a dull and static place, a place without change or invention. Creativity does not come easily to all of us, but it is very rewarding when it does. Creativity is inherent in all of us, and it holds the power to unleash new growth, new fields, and new development in ways we have yet to imagine. Release your inner creativity by nurturing it and allowing your imagination full freedom.
The third “C”: convergence. Convergence of disciplines, of the growth in interdisciplinarity and integration, is a notable trend in higher education and research today. Such convergence in academic fields requires at the same time a “Back to the Basics” emphasis on General Education and the core disciplines of Literature, History, and Philosophy. We need to remain true to the fundamentals while accepting and adapting to change. Convergence allows us to remain true to our original ideals while also adapting to the fast-paced changes of the world around us.
The fourth “C”: cultural diversity. We live in an era of globalization in which cultural diversity in our societies is now the norm. We need to recognize and acknowledge that we are different from each other, and yet have the insight to see the similarities deep inside us. On the outside, we may seem to be different in appearance, culture, beliefs, and history, and yet inside we all share the dream of a better world and a better tomorrow. We need to embrace and reconcile diverse and seemingly incompatible factors. By understanding the variety of cultures in our global era, we can begin to heal social conflict. In many ways, yet another “C,” compassion toward cultural diversity, is one of the most important values to be taught in the world's best universities. Indeed, by accepting the special heritage given to us by God, we can seek ways to work together, to intermingle, and thus to create new synergies of creativity and convergence.
The fifth “C”: Christian leadership. Christian leadership is central to Yonsei's founding principles, and it is an ongoing challenge to all of us to exhibit a Christian leadership that can serve as an inspiration and model. We hope that all Yonseians will learn the importance of service, of humility, of consideration of others. We must learn to be thankful for the smallest things, to be mindful of others and to give freely with a mindset of servitude and compassion, all in the spirit of Christianity.
These “5 C”s are just as important to us today as they were in shaping the original founders of Yonsei University. Just as Underwood and Allen and many others who came before us were driven by Christian principles, by an openness to cultural diversity that brought them to Korea, by a sense of reaching out to other disciplines, as well as creative problem-solving and an emphasis on communication skills, so are these “5 C's” so crucial to us today.
We face an era of social, economic, and regional polarization. The best way to approach these problems is with a spirit of service and consideration for others, and a desire for genuine communication. True global leaders will recognize that no problems can be solved alone, and rather that cooperation and mutual help are the highest values to uphold. We need to begin with ourselves, with a willingness to be open and humble, to listen and to be considerate, and to be creative in our approaches to new problems. It is when cultural diversity is understood and embraced in a Christian spirit that we can move forward in a positive and productive way.
Conclusion
A university education cannot solve all our problems. While we can try to educate each and every one of you to become global leaders that can represent Yonsei and carry our legacy into the 21st century, it is up to all of you to live up to that vision.
All of you need to make sure that you are maximizing all of your potential. I would like to ask all of you to take a moment to think about yourselves. How far do you think your potential extends? Do you think you are living up to that potential? If you have the potential to be at 100, then you must not be satisfied at achieving a 60 or a 70. You must make sure you are utilizing all 100% of your potential, and then with what you bring to the table, you must cooperate with and communicate with others, and thus produce 100-plus-alpha results.
The 5C's that I discussed today are all tools that can maximize our potential. Tools such as communication, creativity, and an embracing of cultural diversity can be a means to maximize our individual potential, but can also be the means to bring about cooperation, consensus, and an increased synergy. The key to the future-to Yonsei's future as an institution, and your futures as individuals-is to be found in the Global Basic 5C's. If all of you can take inspiration from our founders by following the 5C's, then I believe that you can all live up to your potential, go beyond the horizons of your limitations, and also collectively contribute toward a healthier society.
As a university, Yonsei must fulfill its calling as the “light and salt” of the world, and you too must fulfill your individual missions within that context. A true consideration of the “5C's” will enable you to continue in the extraordinary footsteps of the founders and great individuals that have made Yonsei's history. My motto for this university is “Yonsei, where we make history.” It is time for you to make history, and for us to make history together, as part of Yonsei's “Third Founding.”
Finally, I would like to leave you with a quotation from the Bible: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Thank you.