"Transform KU: Together to the Future.” Professor Kim Dong-One (Business School) was elected as Korea University (KU)’s 21st president on December 22, 2022, with his term commencing at the same time as the 2023 spring semester. Both a KU alumni and seasoned leader, Professor Kim now plans to execute the pledges that demonstrate his prolific experience and knowledge in business and public relations, as well as direct practice in numerous leadership positions. 

Last year, six different candidates were appointed by the Presidential Nominations Committee, and five public hearings were held for all candidates to propose and explain their pledges. Only three were chosen via a preliminary vote by the committee that consists of 30 school representatives from various divisions. Finally, Professor Kim’s official appointment as the 21st president was confirmed by the Board of Directors of the KU Foundation. Professor Kim’s proposals run the gamut of topics, with a central emphasis on resolving school finances and helping KU adapt to a contemporary landscape undergoing massive changes. Multiple public interests inevitably intersect, and understanding what to add or reduce is critical to meaningful progress. 

Establishing a New University Infrastructure 

Professor Kim’s expert i se in administration and management guided his plans to see KU grow and adapt. The educational paradigm is changing, and universities must change, too. “As a business administration scholar who has studied labor-management relations, I think it is important that we establish a new management strategy for these turbulent times, to create a new model for how the organization of our university will survive and continue to thrive,” Kim explained. He zeroed in on the particular issue of finance management, identifying that the problem can be attributed to the university’s limited sources of revenue. 

KU’s traditional practice of overreliance on student tuition will soon become an unsustainable means to support the university. KU’s current rate of financial dependence on tuition is about 53 percent, quite high compared to advanced universities in the United States (U.S.) where tuition reliance rates are only 15 to 20 percent, according to Professor Kim. Sources besides tuition include donations, profitable businesses, research funds, and technology transfer start-ups, but KU has not been able to branch out to such sources yet. 

Expanding attention to students of more various generations, increasing access to online learning, recruiting more foreign students, and increasing support for student businesses are ways that he anticipates will both diversify sources of revenue and increase school adaptability. Professor Kim also plans to enhance KU’s affiliated institutions like the Institute of Foreign Language Studies, the University Museum and Press, as well as strengthen the autonomy of independent colleges. “When organizations last a long time, bureaucracy is bound to become rooted. This leads to the establishment of all kinds of regulations used to ensure fairness, which eventually become large impediments to any college attempts to try something new,” Kim said. By dismantling the conservative infrastructures of the past as such, Professor Kim envisions KU as an institution best adapted to modern times – versatile, liberal, and full of more potential towards excellence. 

Student and Academic Affairs 

Financial management is crucial to provide the groundwork for more opportunities and an overall better university experience for students and staff. “Once we secure other forms of revenue, the conflict between students and school headquarters regarding tuition fees will decrease, and if the school’s finances improve, various research environments will improve significantly,” Kim said. 

Other policies that he plans to implement include student-designed online courses and the Class Pairing system, both of which reveal the importance he finds in the integrative nature of problem-solving that is required in the modern world. In student-designed online courses, students will be able to practice more autonomy in studying that aligns with a broader interest as well as be given credit. “Problems in society are not confined [to just one discipline.] The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), for example, is related to business, economics , medicine, and bioengineering. So, I want to give students the opportunity to design their curriculums, for those who wish to study based on problems that include multiple academic disciplines,” Kim said. Similarly, the class pairing system will allow students to major in two different fields, with different assigned professors who pair courses for them. Both policies would help facilitate a broader application and integration of classroom knowledge that tends to stay compartmentalized. 

In addition, the Bidding system will help alleviate the strain of course registration. Course registration often feels like a war to many students, with many left dissatisfied with the results due to the competitive scramble for both popular elective courses as well as required courses. But under the bidding system, students will be able to assign a score to the courses they prioritize starting from an initial 1,000 points. 

International KU 

Professor Kim additionally plans to increase the number of English courses, making classes more accessible for students from abroad. He is open to more foreign students coming to study at KU as well as making KU become a more international, inclusive college campus. “As we have experienced, some foreign students are not as well-prepared…and they have trouble keeping up in classes,” Kim said. “I believe that we should now make more proactive efforts to recruit more qualified international students so that we could have more excellent students [and improve KU’s standing.]” 

The love that Professor Kim holds for KU is evident. “I think that there are two pillars of the KU spirit – first, altruism, pursuing a greater cause for the nation and humanity, and second, ho-yeon-ji-gi, exhibiting generosity, thinking big, and not getting absorbed in narrow viewpoints,” Kim said. “I want to tell KU students to think big and aim high.” KU’s 21st president Kim Dong-One will make the most of his efforts to ensure that members of the KU community are granted the right tools to thrive in optimal environments and realize the school’s motto of “Liberty, Justice, Truth” to its fullest extent.