Incorporation to retool SNU

Passage of bill expected to boost int’l competitiveness

By Kang Shin-who

The passage of the bill on the incorporation of Seoul National University (SNU) at the National Assembly, Wednesday, is expected to lay the groundwork for the state-owned school to grow into a globally competitive institute, school officials said Thursday.

From March, 2012, the school will become “SNU Inc.” and will be independent from the government, leaving it less restricted by cumbersome education regulations, and operating more like a business entity.

It will be able to hire world-renowned professors more easily, introduce an incentive-based pay system and carry out other reformative steps, a school official said. Also, the university will see more flexibility in managing its finances and will be allowed to run for-profit businesses.

The SNU incorporation bill awards the state-run university an independent legal status and autonomy in personnel and fiscal affairs, from 2012.

The school, which has been under the government’s tight control, has been restricted in negotiating with world-renowned professors over salaries. Professors at the state-run universities have a posture of civil servants and are therefore subject to a seniority salary system like officials at government agencies.

"We expect we can invite globally competitive professors from around the world with the new human resource management system,” said Lee Jae-yong, vice director of faculty management at the university.

In addition, SNU will be able to recruit as many foreign professors as it wants. Currently, the university is allowed to employ up to 105 foreigners in full-time professorship posts. About 50 foreigners are teaching at the university.

The overall quota for SNU professorship has been set at 1,924 and some 1,830 full-time professors are working there. The university will be able to freely recruit professors from 2012.

“This autonomy will help our school recruit more competitive professors so that SNU can grow into a more research-oriented university,” said Nam Ik-hyun, director of planning and finance at the university.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has also said the incorporation bill will strengthen the school’s competitiveness. “SNU has difficulties in drawing professors from developed countries as it cannot raise salaries to international levels,” said Lee Ki-bong, general director in charge of university renovation at the ministry. “On the other hand, the bill will also enable the university to offer lower salaries to less-competitive professors.”

On top of these changes, the president of the university will be appointed by its board upon the recommendation of a president election committee like other private schools. It currently picks the president through direct voting by faculty members.

The school will be able to more easily borrow money or issue bonds to fund its various profit-oriented businesses.

Some experts express concerns that the incorporation could result in higher tuition costs for students, which are currently 60 percent of other private school fees.

The school was 50th in global college rankings in 2010, according to QS World University Rankings.

The road to the incorporation of the school could be bumpy as opposition lawmakers and a group of professors are against the move.

Opposition lawmakers vowed Thursday to submit a new bill to revise or scrap the current one.

A group of professors, school administration officials and students recently issued a statement against the incorporation of the state-run school. They claim that it will “poison” the school’s research activities with profit-oriented management.

Other state-owned universities across the nation are expected to take steps to incorporate themselves following the passage of the controversial bill.