Earlier this year, President Yeom Jae Ho of Korea University (KU) announced plans to establish a college devoted to innovative research. It has been tentatively named the KU Future College. Despite his grandiose hopes for this college, many others in the KU faculty and community have expressed their doubts and concerns. How worried should they be? What could be the problem and how can the Future College overcome such obstacles and triumphantly emerge as a successful educational innovation as it was meant to be?

 

The KU Future College will focus on research in technological fields such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI). It will be a separate college dedicated to convergent research. This summer, the university has announced that it is currently in the process of solidifying its plans as well as collecting various opinions and ideas from the university faculty as well as Ministry of Education personnel.

 

Many KU faculty, though, are concerned about the KU Future College due to its implications which include a reduced quota of students in all colleges except for the Colleges of Medicine and Nursing. Many KU faculty have voiced their concerns that such a reduced quota could lead to a decline in the advancement of “pure learning” as opposed to converged learning.

 

The current plan for the Future College that were revealed by the school administration earlier this year dictates a five percent reduction in student quotas for nearly every college, setting a goal of enrolling approximately 150 students in the Future College in 2018.

 

In May, the General Assembly of Professors of the KU Colleges of Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering, and Business stated their disapproval of the developmental process of the Future College, claiming that the KU administration acted as though the Future College was a settled matter when it had not been put before the faculty.

 

In response, KU personnel gave assurances that the preparatory council formed in December had increased KU faculty participation in the developmental process. They also added that they have plans to lead a talk session between KU professors and President Yeom which will also help to ensure that professors will have more say in the matter.

 

Many have pointed out that how KU will fund the establishment of the Future College is unclear. There is a growing sentiment of apprehension among professors that their funding may be used for the Future College. In order to quiet such concerns, KU personnel have stated that they will not use such funds for the Future College and will utilize partnerships with corporations to support the colleges, but also said that the budget has not been finalized.

 

Recently, Korea was overwhelmed by the scandalously disastrous plans of Ewha Women’s University to establish the Future Life College which somewhat resembles KU’s Future College. To prevent such a predicament here in KU, the school administration will have to plan the budget and student quota for the Future College in a more transparent process. Above it all, the KU community will have to toil to achieve effective communication between KU headquarters, faculty, and students in a peaceful, honest, and democratic manner.