Dongguk going all-out to revive old fame

Students from other countries pose with Korean colleagues at Dongguk University near Mt. Nam in Seoul. The number of foreign students attending the school rose to 1,223 last year from 746 in 2009, boosted by a globalized campus program. / Courtesy of Dongguk University

• Published Feb 5, 2014 7:30 PM KST
• Updated Feb 5, 2014 7:30 PM KST

Kim spearheads ‘Re-Start Project’ to bring change to university

By Bahk Eun-ji

When Kim Hee-ok, president of Dongguk University, took office in March 2011, he pledged to nurture the school under a so-called Re-Start Project in a bid to revive its former glory.

“I knew it was time to take a step forward to make our school one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. We used to focus on academic endeavor, but now is the right time to pursue more balanced education through fostering science, engineering and biotechnology,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Dongguk was established in 1906 under the auspices of Buddhist monks. For more than 10 decades, it has played a pivotal role in promoting education in liberal arts and humanities, including the study of Buddhism.

Kim now believes that higher educational institutions such as Dongguk have to reflect the dynamics of modern society.

“I believe we live in the age of integration of academic disciplines,” he said.

The education curriculum in Korea has so far been firmly divided into two categories: liberal arts and general science. Kim stressed that schools should strike a balance between the two by fostering other science disciplines such as medicine and biotechnology.

He further explained that the school has been achieving excellent results in the last three years ― Dongguk was ranked third place in the internalization section among Korean universities by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Ranking in 2013. It took 17th place among Asian institutions.

It also ranked sixth in social sciences and management and 11th in art and humanities among domestic universities.

“The indicators are not the only ones showing the achievements. The number of papers our professors publish has also increased from 124 in 2009 to over 300 in 2013,” he said.

The president noted that the academic papers published by the school’s faculty also saw a significant improvement in their quality as well.

Kim said his university has offered a “Dream Path” program since 2013 to help students improve their competence, find jobs and build their future career.

Lee Seung-hoon, a sophomore studying business administration, is one of the beneficiaries of practical support through the program.

“I came to know my interpersonal skills were not so good. After the program analyzed my weakness, I started to practice making speeches in front of many people and also participated in language exchange programs with foreign students in order not to be a shy person,” he said.

According to Lee, students can analyze their current ability based on abundant statistics so that they can understand which aspects they need to improve in their quest for personal development.

“Besides the university also provides good quality on-line language lectures for TOEIC and TOEFL at lower prices than private language institutes. They are for students of poor families,” Lee said. He also credits the program for helping him become better organized.

“I know what I have to do next semester to land a job I want after graduation through the program. I’m glad I can get practical help from the university,” Lee added.

The following is an excerpt of The Korea Times’ interview with Kim.

Q: What are your major achievements over the last three years since becoming president of the university?

A:

There are several things I came up with. The Biomedical Campus established in Ilsan is the biggest. It is a campus specializing in both research and lectures.

Besides, various research centers supported by the government and private corporations are also located near the campus so that students, professors and researchers have created a synergy effect through cooperation.

The campus set up a science endowed education center to nurture young talent living in the northwestern part of Gyeonggi Province, including Ilsan. A life-long education center was opened there as well.

These centers are not only part of our contribution to the community in which our school is located. They also help raise our university’s recognition among the public.

I hope the Biomedical Campus will be the nation’s most prestigious biomedical hub promoting the study and research of medicine, Oriental medicine, pharmaceuticals, life science and biotechnology in the near future.

Q: Finding employment is one of the biggest issues for students these days. What does Dongguk University do to help students find a job after graduation?

We introduced the “Dream Path” program in 2013 to help students discover their competences based on the career they want to build.

Students can analyze their current competences and circumstance through an online program on the school’s website and then they get basic education in order to chart a roadmap for their career.

Then the students are offered lectures of learning practical skills such as presentation, communication skills and engaging in interpersonal communication.

For those senior students who are preparing for job interviews or job fairs, the program provides recruiting information from various corporations, or skills for interview in English.

Who is Kim Hee-ok?

Kim Hee-ok has been serving as the 17th president of Dongguk University since March 2011.

He graduated from the university in 1972 after studying law. He then got his master’s degree and doctorate from Dongguk in 1976 and 1984, respectively.

Kim has built up his career in the legal profession since he passed the bar exam in 1976. He started working as a prosecutor in 1978.

He became the vice justice minister in September 2005 and then served as a constitutional court judge from September 2006 until he took the helm of the university.

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