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"The world order is based on power and national interests rather than
justice. At the very least, universities are expected to be a cradle
nurturing the universal values of humanity rather than pursuing national
interests blindly."
- Roh Moo Hyun, Presiden of the Republic of Korea
On May 4, Korea University (KU) hosted
the University Presidents’ Global Forum with a theme of “University
Global Management and Education for nowledge-based Society Focusing
on the Education and University Management for the Future.” Over 350
distinguished guests participated in the forum at the Shilla Hotel:
201 participants representing 95 universities in 22 countries, and
105 presidents from domestic universities.
The largest ceremony among the events in commemoration of KU’s centennial,
the forum invited presidents of the world’s most prestigious universities
to Korea. The forum’s primary goal was to seek the esteemed opinion
of distinguished scholars on KU’s road map to perform its historic
mission.
This unparalleled event was divided into three parts. The first part
included the introduction of KU and participating universities, and
Euh Yoon-dae, President of KU, made the opening remark. In addition,
Roh Moo Hyun, President of the Republic of Korea, attended to brighten
the forum. The second part included President Euh’swelcoming address
and keynote speeches from Dr. Martha Piper, president and vice chancellor
of the University of British Columbia, and Prof. Stephen Hill, principal
of Royal Holloway, University of London. Concurrent panel discussions
were the third part of the forum. After the forum, Lee Myung-bak,
Mayor of Seoul city, invited the honored guests to a banquet at the
Grand Hyatt Seoul.
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 President
Roh congratulated KU for holding the forum and for its centennial,and
he expressed high expectations for a brighter future for all universities.
He remarked, “As long as universities remain the bulwark of the conscience
of humanity and do not waver, we can certainly all have hope for the
future. Even now, confrontation and conflict go on endlessly in every
corner of the world. The world order is based on power and national
interests rather than justice. At the very least, universities are
expected to be a cradle nurturing the universal values of humanity
rather than pursuing national interests blindly.”
He then added, “The pride of intellectuals in their firm belief in
democracy, penetrating insight into history and determination to promote
world peace can never be exchanged for anything. In order to fulfill
the mandate of the institutions of higher learning, universities should
further strengthen interconnection and coopreation. When intellectuals
continue to debelop their collective wisdon, they will greatly contribute,
not only to the development of the institutions of higher learning,
but also to the resolution of the world's many problems."
Meanwhile, Hyun Jae-chun, Dean of KU’s Graduate School, and the host
of the second part of the forum, made the audience laugh by telling
them a story about “the most impressive characteristic of KU people.”
He said, “Wherever you go, if there is a group of Korean people, there
will be a group of KU alumni. However, if there is no group of KU
alumni, I can tell you, they are not Koreans.”
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 At
the second part of the forum, President Euh emphasized the importance
of “Global Management” for university in his welcoming address. He
said, “Korea University spearheaded the so-called ‘miracle of the
Han River,’ and the democratic movement in the country.” However,
he said that KU is no longer a regional higher education institution
seeking the interest of its country only.
Rather, it has become a global university educating and researching
issues of mankind in consultation with global leaders.
“Wherever they are,” said Euh, “universities are the most important
organizations for determining the future of humanity. The future of
humanity hinges on what universities think and in which direction
they conduct research.” He pointed out that, for universities, however,
there have not been many cases of "Global Management" that views the
world as one single area, nor has the theory of such management been
very advanced. He hoped the forum would encourage exchanging opinions
of the global perspective of university education, so that KU will
be able to leap forward with its global management.
Also, he proposed an in-depth discussion on higher education in the
knowledge-based society. He said, invisible it may be, the knowledge-based
reform is bringing forth a more fundamental change than the Industrial
Revolution. Euh warned that, if we remain aloof from the revolution,
education at universities will fail to gain a true understanding of
the exact nature of the knowledge-based revolution.
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Dr. Martha Piper, President and Vice Chancellor of the University
of British Columbia, delivered the first keynote speech, which was
about university global management. Dr. Piper emphasized the role
of a university president in theis global milieu. "The opportunity
and responsibility of a university president is not to manage the
many complexities of their institutions. Rather, it is to lead to
set overarching goals and then to monitor those goals and to ensure
that resources are directed appropriately to reach specific targets
along the way,” and Dr. Piper also mentioned the ideal features of
a university. “A university must produce leaders who have a broad
sense of the world and of their own personal potential and - especially
their responsibility. The university must be the home of the global
citizen, informed and engaged.”
Following the first keynote speech, Prof. Stephen Hill, Principal
of Royal Holloway, University of London, mentioned the importance
of internationalization in the university of the twenty-first century.
“Knowledge has never followed national boundaries; companies increasingly
operate on a global level; the international reputation of a university
can be increased by its links with other highprofile institutions
around the world.” Prof. Hill also pointed out a matter that demands
special attention. “While the vision of globalization is relatively
easy to develop, the execution of the vision can be more time-consuming
and challenging,” he said. |
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GT:
Please inform us about Univ. of British Columbia.
Martha Piper: Today, UBC is
becoming new again, responding to the changes
occurring around us in society, through the
university’s vision for the 21st century,
Trek 2010. Under the aegis of Trek 2010, the
university has reorganized its goals and priorities
around five key areas: people, learning, research,
community, and internationalization. UBC is
well placed to take a leading role in the
growth and change occurring in the society.
Also, there are lots of KU students at UBC
thanks to visiting students program.
Can
you tell us about the relationship between
KU and UBC? We’re very pleased
to be a partner with KU, one of the most outstanding
universities in Korea. We’re honored that
UBC and KU are linking and collaborating.
As one of KU’s biggest partner, I would like
to say to KU students to be ambitious and
be courageous to reach out to the world and
to extend your wings. I want you to realize
that you live in a very small world. By taking
advantages of KU and UBC’s collaboration,
you can see a part of the world that you have
never seen before. Also, I think this celebration
is very special. This is an outstanding event,
and we can learn from each other by sharing
the experience.
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GT: Tell us about UC Davis. Virginia S. Hinshaw:
UC Davis is the largest of the UC campuses, and is
third in enrollment, with more than 30,000 students.
UC Davis has a threefole mission: to teach students
to be independent thinkers and lifelong learners,
to pursue research that advances the knowledge of the world and to
serve the public by
sharing and applying those discoveries through engagement.
Can you comment on the University Presidents’ Global Forum?
Above all, I'd like to express my sincere congratulations to KU for
its centennial
anniversary, and I believe KU has achieved remarkable tasks during
one
hundred years. In my opinion, this kind of forum is a 'face mail,'
which
offers many chances to meet other presidents and share various
ideas and opinions. Through conversing with each other, I learned
other perspectives on university education. In addition to this, my
faithful guide, the student ambassador, was extremely nice and
helpful. She gave me a good impression of KU. |
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GT:Please introduce us to Ritsumeikan University.
Toyo Omi Nagata:
The school spirit of liberalism and internationalism advocated by Prince Saionji was combined with the ideals of academic freedom and vivacity. In April 2000, the 100th anniversary of its establishment, Ritsumeikan University opened an international educational institution, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU)
Can you comment on the University Presidents; Global Forum?
I think this grand and noble presidents; forum is really gorgeous,. I met many presidents whom I already knew and we had a lot o conversations. In additition, Dr. Martha Piper's speech was very impressive to me. UBC and Ritsumeikan have shared a long history with many exchange students, so I could empathize with her.
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GT: Tell us about the special relationship between Waseda
University and KU.
Katsuhiko Shirai: We had mutual agreements
in 1983 officially, but even before that, many Koreans
had been studying at Waseda; you’d be surprised to find
that many of KU’s respectable professors had graduated
from Waseda. The close connection between Waseda University
and KU has a really long history indeed.
Please
tell us your comments about KU’s centennial.
I congratulate the centennial from the bottom of my heart.
And I hope you may continue to progress. The Global KU
Project is truly splendid.
What
does Waseda expect from the student agreement with KU?
We long to establish stronger ties and deeper relationships
focused not only on the student exchanges programs but
also on the educational programs each side develops. And
from next year, I personally hope to raise the number
of KU’s exchange students to Waseda University from the
current 20 to 100. We should prompt reciprocal networks
so that together we can produce the 21st century leaders.
What
was your impression of our school?
The atmosphere is very similar to Waseda, powerful and
energetic, and the campus is full of students’ passion.
Would
you tell us about Waseda?
Waseda aims to foster global leaders who will contribute
to the world and always don’t miss to help sufferers.
And we want our students to be activists and masterminds
to solve difficulties we face in this age. Waseda students
are full of strong convictions; they are determined in
pursuing their goals. Come to Waseda!
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GT: What are your comments about the centennial of KU?
Baocheng Ji: It is obvious that through the long span
of 100 years, KU spearheaded the social and economic developments
of Korea in great degrees. Still, the contribution continues and the
time of globalization is asking for commitment more than ever. As
I see it, Korea is approaching its peak of economic development and
that will be an encouraging factor for KU in advancing into an even
more internationalized educational institution. I believe that this
centennial celebration will be a new start line for the quantum leap
that will certainly take place in the next millennium.
What do you think
is needed to achieve global KU?
I heard that KU actually started its path toward globalization in
the 1990s when the concept of globalization was still new. I think
that the university viewed the situation accurately for the direction
corresponding to the developments of both Korea and KU itself. The
most important elements required for the universities that seek to
become international, in my view, are a firm ideology in affiliation
with internationalization, penetrating eyes to see the world’s trends
that will determine the political and economical landscape, and the
twoleveled learning that uplifts the quality of teachers and students
to internationalize. More interaction with overseas universities through
international academic conferences and student exchange programs is
definitely needed. Well-organized cooperative interchanges in terms
of teachers, students, and academic pursuits will make the changes.
I know KU is doing well in this aspect.
What do you expect
from our student exchange agreement?
We expect a lot from KU. The major student interchanges between Renmin
University and KU are concentrated mainly on the Business Schools.
We hope to expand the breath of this friendly network into other areas
such as History, Culture, and Law. We need to collaborate in educating
graduate students for synergetic competences. Many practical ways
such as replacing the professors to teach at another campus or teaching
a few terms would make satisfying outcomes. Sharing ideas on various
themes of economy, trade, and social developments is the key to nurture
international cooperation. Last but not least, we should ignite a
stronger partnership in management and administration, supplementing
each other’s weak points.
Tell us about your impressions of our school.
KU is a distinguished school. The campus is so beautiful, and the
teachers and students are highly advanced. To Korea, KU is a source
of national pride. With the efforts under President Euh, KU will step
up as an internationally renowned university and have a radiant future.
Congratulations!
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GT: Please introduce us about Griffith
University.
David Ian O’ Connor: The capital of the State
of Queensland, Australia, Griffith University is a
modern university founded 35 years ago located
in Brisbane. The university has 33,000 students,
and 6,300 (19%of all students) are international.
Griffith University first contracted a formal
agreement in 1999 with KU, and still works on
providing a good quality of education as a partner
of KU. The ideals of Griffith University are the
commitment to social justice and equality.
Can you comment on KU and the forum?
Through the forum, I could talk to many
university presidents about global education, and
I think this discussion was very rewarding. Also,
I’m really impressed by the beauty of the KU
campus and their fantastic facilities. This is my
first visit of Korea, but I could feel the friendliness
of people and the dynamic energy. Everywhere I
walk, people were so excited and enthusiastic. It
was just extraordinary to me.
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GT: What are your comments about KU’s centennial?
Stephen R. Hill:
KU has been so
successful to leap toward the 21st
century, and it has continued to get better
and better at the same time as the Korean
economy has been growing. Most of the
universities of international reputation
have been established in countries with
much longer history of economic
development, and so it is a really great
achievement for a country, which has
developed in such a short time to
produce such a university.
What do you think is needed for KU
to become an international
educational institution?
The Korean economy is well structured;
you have the industrial and commercial
background to use the university very well
and that will be a continual interaction
between the growing economy and the
university. For example, Samsung needs
more technicians and more highly skilled
managers, and this places more demands
on universities. The other thing that will
happen is the resulted reaction, that your
highly developed. Most of the universities,
which are well developed have a record of
highly advanced research. Working with
Korea’s growing economy, KU will be
organized into an efficient research hub.
Although it might take a little time before
the rest of the world realizes how great
KU is, I think within the next 5 or 10 years
the progress of achievements will become
much better known, and then people all
around the world will know the name of
KU. Many students will want to come
here.
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Can you comment on KU’s students?
I think the quality of students is already
very high. What the rest of the world has
seen is that Korea has a very good
educational system, very good primary
education, very good secondary
education that then produces highlyskilled
students. We have 35 to 40
students a year coming from KU to Royal
Holloway, and our professors tell me that
they are as good to teach as any other
students from anywhere else around the
world. So I think you have the quality
already but it might take a few more years
What are your expectations from our
student exchange agreement?
I think it is important for British students
to learn the differences and gain insight
on the cultural diversities, and the best
way is to have overseas students. Living
with other people, absorbing what town
life and family life are like are important
experiences for the students to be more
aware of the world.
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On May 4, the Grand Hall at the Seoul Hyatt Hotel was crowded
with the suits of black and white and crimson jackets of student
ambassadors. In the dimly lit long square hall with the sounds of
harps playing softly in the center, the guests and student
ambassadors moved about here and there in friendly talks. The
simultaneous university-to-university connections could be made
by natural acquaintances through the lively dinner party hosted
by Mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung-Bak.
Mayor Lee greeted the guests with his welcoming remarks,
and the dynamic images of Seoul shown on the monitor also
greeted them with the strings of unforgettable impressions.
Before dinner, the five chairs of the concurrent panel
discussions summarized the range of issues they had focused
on and the key points of the discussions. The dinner began
along with several music performances, beats and traditional
Korean dance and songs in the midst of the audience.
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