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Kim Young-gil, chairman of the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE), pledged to put greater focus on strengthening the quality of education, shifting away from the current trend of emphasizing research.
The president of Handong Global University was appointed chairman of KCUE, an organization of presidents of universities, during a ceremony at the Seoul Kyoyuk Munhwa center in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul. He succeeded Korea University President Lee Ki-su.
During his speech and a press conference, Kim stressed the importance of guiding students to become global citizens and also focusing on stabilizing university education.
``My biggest interest is coming up with ideas to help schools nourish their students, help them build their potential and also show off their individual talents on the international scene,’’ he said.
By encouraging schools to form partnerships, the chairman added that he hopes to see more local universities being noticed both here and abroad, and also balance the importance on research and education.
When it came to the admissions officer system, the screening method that envisions selecting applicants based on officials’ interviews rather than solely focusing on their test scores, Kim reiterated that trust has been and always will be the key in continuing the system.
``It’s been only four years since we implemented the system and, both universities and high schools, need to work together and try to think from the student’s perspective,’’ he said.
Kim worked as a researcher at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the NASA Lewis Research Center, and became the first president of Handong Global University in 1995. His term as chairman will continue through April, 2012.
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