Yeom Jaeho, the 19th president of Korea University (KU), started his tenure receiving spotlight. With innovative and more or less radical reforms, he has gained attention from college students around the nation and even the general public. On March 24, Yeom granted an interview to KU’s press, including The Granite Tower (GT), Korea University Weekly, Korea University Broadcasting Station (KUBS) and Korea University Education Press. His talk with student journalists was amicable throughout, communicating expected changes in KU.
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| ▲ Yeom Jaeho, the new president of KU. Photographed by Kim Na Young. | ||
In the inauguration speech last February, Yeom emphasized the expression “pioneering intellectual” repeatedly, firmly suggesting it as the next vision for KU. He also stressed its importance in the interview by saying, “Many students of these days are spiritless intellectuals, educated under the unilateral and standardized education system.” He added that in a continuously changing society, standardized knowledge provided through mass-education cannot help younger generations to proactively lead changes.
“Instead of passively obtaining knowledge, KU students should develop problem-solving ability, and pioneer through the unknown world using it,” stated the president. “After all, the sort of person that the society really needs is not experts but professionals. Most information can now be accessed through the Internet, but people who can actually use such information in a useful way is uncommon.”
Thus, his recently initiated reforms of college education focuses on developing skills needed to become pioneering intellectuals through the “threeno” policy. Such a policy refers to the plan of abolishing the relative grading system, attendance checks, and the proctoring of examinations. According to Yeom, the policy is to be adopted as soon as possible, and the university is trying to complete the administrative measures needed before this month’s mid-term examination.
His three-no policy became a hot potato in and outside KU. Though many students have acclaimed the policy, there were controversies on the effectiveness and side effect of it. Recognizing some criticisms, Yeom said, “The three-no policy is not a mandatory rule for all courses. It simply means that systematic barriers no longer exist and lecturers may use alternative ways of evaluation if they wish.” He also hopes that it will lead to less stress for both students and teachers.
In the case of checking attendance, Yeom expected responsible attitudes of KU students. “Although the Ministry of Education requires courses to check attendance in order to guarantee the quality of college education, I expect KU students to act responsibly even without such regulations.”
Moreover, regarding the proctoring of exams, Yeom clearly stated that monitoring whether
students cheat or not is against the trust and honor towards students. “I believe that tests should contain questions that do not simply test the student’s memorization. Rather, professors should make questions that make the students use the information creatively and encourage students to think and solve April 2015 7 problems,” said Yeom.
In addition, Yeom is trying to open a new future for private universities by actualizing these reforms. However, many barriers exist since there are experimental policies that have never been attempted by other universities. In particular, Yeom emphasized the need for mitigation of government regulations for further academic and educational developments of private universities in Korea.
“Despite the lack of financial aid, educational authorities want to control universities, enforcing tons of regulations on school administration.” The president said. Unlike national and public universities funded by the government, there is no financial aid from educational authorities, except for the occasional research funds.
In KU, there have been controversies on lack of communication among members of university community. Even reforms and new systems designed with good will can result in problems if pushed ahead without consensus, and backlashes from those concerned can preclude the success of new measures.
When it comes to communication inside KU, the new president stressed the significance of trust. Facing a criticism that some decisions on crucial affairs have been made behind closed doors, he is planning to post the details of important meetings on the KU portal. Also, Yeom has already met with the president and vice president of KU Student Association (KUSA).
“I have a will to meet the student representatives regularly. We have to build trust, rather than have fear about each other,” Yeom said. Nevertheless, he expressed a negative view toward horizontal discussions on university policies with students. He continued, “There is a need to make it clear that students are educatees who cannot be placed at an equal position with educators.”
The new president also has to deal with issues related to exponentially increasing foreign regular students. Although the quantitative globalization of KU is quite successful, there were criticisms on qualitative aspects, especially the admission process and systematic aids for foreign students. Many Korean students and lecturers have pointed out the lack of aptitude for some.
Yeom argued that increasing the number of foreign regular students can be a breakthrough for KU in the future. However, he agreed that there should be a different approach to draw intelligent foreign students to KU. “Inviting international students to summer school before college admission and appealing the strengths and attractiveness of KU could be a solution.” Thus, he plans to adopt the concept of recruiting by offering more scholarships while opening specialized programs for foreigners.
Yeom’s forward-looking policies and innovative approach are expected to cause some dramatic changes in KU, influencing every member of the KU community from faculty members to students. It is true that there are many more steps needed to crystallize his plans. However, his will to change is sufficient to make many hold positive expectations for the future of KU.
Jung Woo Jae
wjtow@korea.ac.kr