Konkuk Eyes Big Leap With Nobel Prize Winners
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Konkuk University is seeking more Nobel Prize laureates for its growth. Oh Myung, 67, president of the school, told The Korea Times in an interview that he will invite more Nobel Prize winners as ``university professors.’’
So far, Konkuk has invited two world-renowned scholars _ chemistry Nobel Prize winner Robert D. Kornberg and physics Nobel Prize winner Zhores I. Alferov.
The professors are conducting research and studies here and at their home schools. Also, they counsel and advise other faculty members and give lectures to students. Konkuk was the first to introduce this kind of system among Korean universities.
``Once we have laboratories with the world’s top scientists, our research can become more advanced and significant in the world. On top of those advantages, Konkuk can boost its global competitiveness,’’ Oh said.
Noting the school is continuing its search for star faculty members without limit, Oh explained that scouting foreign professors doesn’t require as much money as many people estimate.
Konkuk University President Oh Myung
``The amount of money for scouting a renowned professor is almost the same as that for recruiting a Korean professor. I think the former is rather cheap because it is easier for us to get sponsorships from companies for foreign scholars,’’ Oh said.
The president foresees that employing foreign professors will boom among Korean colleges soon. ``When we hire Korean professors, we have to guarantee them work until they are 65. However, we don’t need to worry about this when we work with foreign professors,’’ Oh said.
Also, foreign faculty members can influence other Korean professors positively and universities don’t need to upset Korean professors by imposing English-only lectures on them to improve students’ English ability, he said.
Besides his passion for the school’s development, Oh is a member of the bidding committee for the ``EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea.’’ Oh was a chief organizer of the world Expo in Daejeon, which hosted the event successfully in 1993.
``It was the most worthy achievement for me hosting the world Expo in Daejeon for the first time in Korea. The Expo brings changes to all fields _ the economy, society, culture, science and the arts. I believe the Daejeon Expo enabled the city to advance 10 years,’’ Oh said.
For the event in 2012, Korea is competing with Morocco and Poland. However, the president is confident that Korea can hold the Expo again as long as all people here support it and do their best.
Although Oh is very concerned about national interests, he doesn’t forget about his position as Konkuk’s president. During his visit to Europe last May to promote Yeosu for the world Expo, he made MOUs with several European colleges including the University of Vienna, one of the oldest in Europe.
The president most values forming relationships with overseas colleges. ``Through interactions with overseas schools, we can find out their strengths and our weaknesses,’’ Oh said. ``Especially, we should not neglect to cooperate with colleges in developing countries. We have a lot of things to learn from them as well.’’
Lastly, Oh emphasized the need of strong leadership for the further development of Korean colleges. ``Renovation in colleges is very difficult compared to companies or other organizations. I believe Korean colleges are less competitive than their overseas counterparts because college presidents here don’t have strong power,’’ Oh said. ``College presidents should have every authority to lead the school. Also, their tenure needs to be guaranteed as long as they can contribute to the school.’’
A graduate from the Korea Military Academy in 1962 and later from Seoul National University, he received his doctorate in engineering from Stony Brook in 1972. Oh served as minister of science and technology between 2003 and 2006, minister of construction and transportation between 1994 and 1995, and as president of the Dong-A Ilbo, a Korean daily. He was president of Ajou University from 2002-03.