“Working Together to Make Yonsei a Leading Institution of Education and Research” Dear Yonsei Students, Faculty, and Alumni, The New Year has arrived with all its promise of hope. I wish all members of the Yonsei community a fruitful year. The year 2007 was an extremely eventful year. Many things happened within the Yonsei community as well. In the midst of all the struggles, we were able to achieve many things thanks to the Lord’s blessing and the hard work of the members of our community. In the national and international university Rankings, we were able to correct the inaccurate evaluations of 2006. Many members of our community have expressed concerned regarding the lowered rank of Yonsei. We have gone some length towards silencing these worries. Of course, the good evaluations we have received this year does not mean we will be ceasing our efforts to become a top international institution. Yonsei’s important globalization effort, the “Global 5-5-10” Project is now in full motion. The finally selected 12 research teams are working with full support from the university to reach the goal of joining the international top ten in their field. Among these, Physics, Chemistry, Astrophysics, and Biomedical Science centers have already come to be considered top research institutions internationally. The Underwood Chair Professorship was another significant milestone. We have appointed four remarkable professors for this position. We trust their research would be indispensable in granting Yonsei a better international recognition. The 2nd Yonsei Nobel Forum was a wonderful opportunity to meet with international scholars and alert Yonsei students of the vital importance of science. In the student education sector, we focused on encouraging the spirit of Servant Leadership in our students, which we take to be a major component of the Yonsei Spirit. We also encouraged course tracks designed to help students become ethical intellectuals capable of bringing together creativity and critical thinking. Community service courses were augmented to encourage student participation; our faculty and staff were also invited to join in efforts to serve the community. The Yonsei Volunteer Group expanded the scope of its activities and led the Yonsei community to help those in need. Yonsei also expanded our tutoring and mentoring programs for young students from low-income families. To train leaders of the globalization era, we introduced our Global Leader Fellowship and celebrated the opening of our Leadership Development Center. To augment the inbound globalization of Yonsei, we expanded the Underwood International College to take charge of our International Division. The International Education Exchange Center was expanded to the Office of International Affairs, which looks after all international affairs concerning international faculty and students, as well as international exchange efforts. With the governmental approval of our Songdo Global Academic Complex project, we were able to begin the construction process of the mega research site. Through the Songdo Complex, Yonsei is desitned to become not merely the de facto hub of education and research in Asia but also serve as the foundation for Yonsei’s expansion into the outside world beyond our region. The Medical Center focused on reinforcing research efforts under the motto of “A Research-Oriented Global Medical Institution”. As a result, much significant research was produced in addition to the Medical Center being granted support for numerous mega-research projects. In the area of management, the Medical Center was literally overwhelmed with distinctions, being the winner of the 2007 Web Award Prize, Public Health Service Prize, Consumer Well-Being Score No.1, Global Management Prize, and the Top Hospital Favored by Students. Most importantly, the Center was accredited by the JCI, the first medical institution in Korea to achieve such honor. Through the accreditation process, the Yonsei Medical Center was able to greatly enhance the quality of its medical service and pave the path towards becoming a premier international medical institution. The changes at our Wonju Campus were also crucial and significant. We successfully introduced the Residential College system, of which the first-year students became the first beneficiaries. Wonju’s decision to move the Ilsan Campus nearer to Wonju Campus, so that the Wonju medical faculty can share the same site with other faculties, should also be remembered as a landmark in the development of Wonju Campus. Lastly, we were able to create a university administration system tailor-made for the age of information technology by introducing the Groupware System and setting up our electronic approval system to shorten the approval process. We also developed an administrative SOP system based on Groupware and created a shared format among offices in order to achieve an administrative reform required for achieving our “Yonsei Vision 2020”. My Dear Yonsei Family, This year, we must continue our efforts in the second stage of the government-funded BK21 Project and the Global 5-5-10 Project. We expect to increase the number of Chair Professors from 12 this year to 21 next year, as well as continuing to invite star professors and highly qualified international scholars to join our faculty. In order to fortify our research frontier, we much increase the number of articles published in international journals by ten percent and review strategies to enhance the quality of undergraduate and graduate education at Yonsei. Faculty members who produce outstanding results will be recognized, welfare for the women faculty will be expanded, and the faculty evaluation system will undergo a reform. Our efforts to globalize Yonsei through various means will continue in the New Year. Inbound Globalization will be achieved through cooperation with the prestigious international universities with whom we have build a solid partnership over the years, such as Emory University, University of Washington, UC Berkeley, and USC in the U.S., the University of Warwick in the U.K., and the University of Alberta in Canada, all of which will be the outposts of our effort to reach out to the world. Through aggressive PR efforts, we will work to elevate the international recognition and evaluation of Yonsei both in Korea and overseas. In order for Yonsei to become a top-grade education and research institution, a stable financial foundation is essential. For Yonsei University to come on top in the competition in a world driven by information and knowledge, we need intelligent researchers, ample research funds, and financial support for promising students. All members of the Yonsei community must come together in this effort to create a solid financial foundation. The Medical Center will continue to pursue its growth and development while at the same time reinforcing education and research functions in order to mine potential opportunities for growth. We will raise the quality of the medical service at Severance and work to strengthen our sense of identity as the first and the leading medical school in this country. We will especially focus on creating a productive relationship between management and labor. Efforts to build a stronger infrastructure for education, research, and community service will continue in the New Year. Construction of the 120th Anniversary Academy Information Center, the 2nd International Dormitory, Health and Welfare Center, Gymnasium, School of Business, Engineering Lecture Hall, Eugene Nursery, and GS Industrial-Academic Cooperation Center, all at the Shinchon Campus, will continue. At the Medical Center, a new main building and funeral hall, a new Cancer Center, renovation of the Yongdong Severance Hospital main building, and extension of the Cardiology Center are the changes being implemented this year. At the Wonju Campus, this year being its 30th anniversary, construction for the University Chapel, Administrative Building, and a new high-tech laboratory/lecture hall will continue in addition to the relocation of the Ilsan Campus and hospital. Dear Yonsei Students, Faculty, and Alumni, During the past year, many members of the Yonsei family have expressed concern about the less felicitous incidents that took place at Yonsei. However, this year we will have a new University President and administrative body taking full charge of the affairs. I strongly believe that we will be able to come together under the leadership of our new president to overcome the current hardships and look towards a better future. I also expect to see Yonsei leading the new age of change and innovation. Yonsei University is an institution founded by divine Providence to pursue truth. We have inherited the strong determination and pioneering spirit of our founders, the spirit of working for the progress of all humanity and serving our neighbors with tolerance and love. If all the members of our community come together, we will be able to make Yonsei University become an internationally recognized institution for research and education. Greeting a New Year full of hope and dreams, I wish all members of the Yonsei family a year full of the grace and blessings of our Lord. January 1, 2008 Acting President Chi Hoon-Sang