Korea University (KU) has been on progress for 110 years. Elected as the new president of KU this year, President Yeom Jaeho reflected some of his ambitious goals regarding the renewal of KU. “KU will now become the pioneer of new visions,” quoted Yeom in his inauguration speech. Among his enterprising promises, including the removal of the relative grading system and attendance records, something catches the eye — the third campus in Sejong-si.
 
   
▲ The opening ceremony of the KU Sejong Campus. Provided by kukey.com.

 

Starting this March, Yeom Jaeho became the new president of KU. On February 27, the inauguration ceremony for the 19th KU president was held at the Inchon Memorial Hall. Through his speech, Yeom delivered some of his goals for fostering bright futures of KU, and one of them was the creation of the third campus in Sejong-si. The official announcement of his plan reignited the previous plans for the development in Sejong campus. 
  
It is not the first time the plans for the third campus were addressed in public. During the term of the former KU president Kim Byung Cheol, suggestions to create a third campus in Sejong-si were also addressed. Due to financial issues regarding construction and land purchases, however, many expressed concerns about its practicality. Yet Yeom’s announcement illuminates the plan, implying the high possibility of conducting the promise as planned.
 
Details of the third campus plan are quite startling. According to Yeom, KU will create a 390,000 pyeong (1,731,000 square meters) wide campus, transferring the College of Pharmacy, the Graduate School of Public Administration, and the School of Global Sport Studies including the Division of Athletics, all of which are currently located in the Sejong Campus, by 2018. Additional construction of special graduate schools is also planned to be completed by 2023.
 
The transfer of current departments is also of great attention as well. Yeom also announced that professional graduate schools, a science park, a think tank, international schools, and expertise clinics will be created. “To achieve Sejong-si’s initial goal to pursue a global high-quality environment, we will also move onto our plan to retain a globalclass university,” said Yeom during his inauguration speech. According to Yeom, the third campus is not the concept of a “branch school,” but creation of a completely new campus.
 
Indeed, the third campus is a reflection of a communal vision, valuing the third campus as an opportunity to augment the size of the KU community in collaboration with local economic development. Additional creation of state-of-the-art complex medical center and leading medical services and research at an international level would create a cooperative development by the Sejong-si and KU, which Yeom emphasizes would enhance the whole. He stressed educational development in the third campus as its catalyst.
 
   
▲ The view of the KU Sejong Campus. Provided by podbbang.com.

 
Howewver, some of the students showed concerns toward this plan, There were opinions that some additional transfer of currently existing department could cause some discord. Youn Ji Ho (’14, International Studies) said, “The first thing that the school should deal with would be the current students’ perceptions. It could be quite a challenge to completely eliminate the impression that the third campus is a branch school,” she said. “I think that focusing on the current campus would be a more effective option. There could be other ways to enhance the status of KU.”
 
Heo Yoon Jeong (’12, English Language and Literature) had a similar opinion. “In my opinion, the most important thing the university should prioritize is the quality of education,” she said. “Thus, perhaps increasing the number of campuses may not be so effective. As the president stated that the third campus would be an independent campus rather than a branch school, this might cause diversion in school administration, eventually requiring an additional amount of time and money.”
 
   
▲ Map of Sejong-si. Provided by the Multifunctional Administrative Construction Agency(MACCA).
 
 
There are, however, some positive opinions as well. “Although I am also concerned about its practicality, a third campus can be a chance for KU to provide learning opportunities for students living outside Seoul,” replied Lee Soo Yeon (’14, Psychology). “This, in return, will relieve the so-called ‘noble consciousness’ excessively focused on metropolitan areas.” Many also expressed some expectations toward creating an economic development at a cooperative level.
 
Considering first its aims and visions, the third campus could really be a start of something new. Look closer, and then there are still some obstacles to realizing such dreams. Complex issues are involved in this matter, mostly financial and administrative ones. Whether KU will be able to construct such a massive-scale campus, along with other centers is questioned by many. To create a distinctive campus, delicate plans should be done to ventilate the dominant perception of viewing another campus as a branch campus. The future path of KU is at the center of concern for all.
 
 
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