KS's Global Insights into Higher Education

"No Uruguay Round! Farmers Perish Amid Plummeting Rice Prices!" It seems like yesterday when I was an elementary school student in a humble farming hamlet in Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do. My grandparents, small-scale farmers, lived there. I still vividly remember the unease I felt upon seeing a bold, red slogan painted on our village community hall. I may not have fully grasped its precise meaning then, but an overwhelming sense that our lives were being infiltrated by something substantial was imprinted in my young mind. It's been 30 years since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round. This led to the foundation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 and the enforcement of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), signifying the opening of the education market. In 1993, I was a primary schooler; a decade later, I went to the university. The noticeable shifts on campus, such as the surge in 'English-mediated lectures', 'international students',...

While the question of "Is a university a public good or a private commodity?" might not readily engage those outside the field of 'Higher Education Administration' - a specialty familiar to the author - it is one that should provoke contemplation not only among those who consider themselves experts in the broader Korean educational sphere and more specifically higher education, but also among us, the upcoming generation of scholars thriving in the university environment. This question substantially influences the paradigm by which we perceive universities as societal organisms and subsequently impacts relevant policy and system implementations. Financial considerations surrounding universities form an integral part of this conversation. South Korea's expenditure in higher education trails considerably behind the OECD average. Although the need for bold investment to enhance the competitiveness of universities is frequently discussed, viable solutions seem elusive,...

With an annual budget of approximately $1.5 billion in 2021-22, Michigan State University, established in East Lansing Michigan in 1855, is one of the largest research universities in the U.S. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, more than 200 departments and programs, and roughly 50,000 students, it is one of the 65 members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a prestigious alliance renowned for its research-centric universities. Known as a 'Public Ivy', the university, which ranked 93rd in the 2022 THE World University Rankings, has a unique aspect in its ' MSU 2030 Strategic Plan ' released in 2020. This 36-page document is divided into six themes. The first is 'student success', which is listed first based on the priorities that Michigan State University considers important. Given the primary identity of the university as an educational institution, this is a natural outcome. However, unlike the terms 'cultivating' or 'producing...

Book Review: "Past and Future of University" Author: Dr. Joon Heo, Yeonsei University ( http://scsi.yonsei.ac.kr/ ) ISBN: 9788968504013 Ever since the 1960s, a revolutionary challenge has been posed against empiricism, which spread globally from the United States, based on scientific rationalism. An educational administrator wielding an 'interpretative paradigm' boldly dared to counter this prevailing ethos. In 1979, Thomas Greenfield described an organization as a "talk, chance, action, and experience." Much like Greenfield's defiance against the existing paradigm of empiricism, future societies raise fundamental questions about the paradigm upon which today's universities are based. What discourse does the university of our era conduct, what opportunities does it provide, what actions does it take, and what experiences does it offer? Moreover, what should its future look like? 'The Past and Future of the University' provides an engaging int...

The adage "Universities are disappearing in the order in which cherry blossoms bloom" may seem cliché, but the crisis facing universities is indeed ongoing. In an era where universities are 'consumed', radical innovation in academia is an urgent task that can no longer be delayed for the sustainability of educational capabilities. In this regard, we (Korea University Alumni News) met Mr. KIM Kyuseok (Mick), who is actively involved in university education administration and believes that "universities must change rapidly and boldly to survive in accordance with global standards." Q)  What led you to work as a university staff member? I have been walking the path of a university staff member for 12 years, largely influenced by my senior who worked as a staff member at Korea University (KU) when I was a student. After taking my first steps as an educational administrator at the International Office of Sungkyunkwan University, I am currently working as an admis...

South Korea's role in the global research and literature about international branch campuses (IBCs) has been largely overlooked, despite the country's substantial contributions to student mobility. Initially, Japan was the preferred market for IBCs in East Asia, but now China has taken the lead. Incheon Global Campus (IGC) was launched in South Korea in 2012, with its founding member being the State University of New York, Korea (SUNY Korea). The IGC was part of a national plan for globalising higher education which focused on two elements: Korean students studying abroad and the addition of international components to Korean higher education. SUNY Korea was the first American university approved by the Korean government and by 2023, the IGC hosted four IBCs and a research institute from Stanford University, educating almost 4,000 students from 35 different countries. However, Korea's higher education landscape faces significant challenges due to a declining college-age pop...

At OO University, President Z initiated a town hall meeting, seeking input on the pressing issue of internationalization. Student Council President A was the first to point out the struggle faced by foreign students in integrating with the campus learning community and its culture. When Dean B lamented the decline in class quality due to the influx of underqualified foreign students, Director C of Planning rebutted, arguing the necessity for financial gain and improved external evaluations. Director D of the International Affairs Division underscored the need for the university's active participation and support in internationalization initiatives, citing a recent meeting with the Department of Education's official in charge of international education. Director E of the Office of International Affairs underscored the urgency for preemptive measures given the unprecedented intensification of global competition for student recruitment. Pondering these remarks, President Z asked, ...

XX University Awards for OO Years Straight! Winner of XX Government Grant: OO Million! As you read this article, are you someone closely involved in higher education – perhaps a provider of university services? If so, you might be stirred by the headlines above. Since the late 1990s, a myriad of financial support programs for universities, with the Brain Korea Initiative at the forefront, have expanded significantly, transforming the way universities market themselves. These programs have become invaluable resources and tools for institutions to showcase their excellence both domestically and internationally. However, how students and parents – the consumers of higher education – perceive these promotional efforts is another matter altogether. Are these marketing slogans truly achieving their intended objectives? The steady increase in the college-age population and the soaring university enrollment rates in South Korea, predominantly driven by private institutions, fueled the quantita...

 "Language is the house of being." In 2017, K University courageously stepped away from the standardized term, 'Admissions Office,' long used by the majority of universities in South Korea, and built a new 'house of existence for university admissions work' through the language of a 'Talent Discovery Department.' This was the first attempt to boldly diverge from the conventional term. It can be evaluated as an innovative and audacious attempt, reflecting the will to actively seek out talent, moving away from traditional passive admissions work, and identifying the potential of students who are the protagonists of the future generation. Despite the realistic criticism that it was 'awkwardly unfamiliar' and 'difficult to intuitively understand,' six years later, the sign for the 'Talent Discovery Department' at K University remains robust. In 2019, an American university staff member, referred to as R, was puzzled when she saw the...

"We are millennials. We try to do that (find purpose) instinctively!" This is what Mark Zuckerberg said in his commencement speech at Harvard University in 2017. 'Decoding the MZ generation' has long been a critical interest for most conscious organizations. A Korean book addressing the sociocultural characteristics of those born in the 90s even gained popularity through word-of-mouth, recommended by a former president of South Korea. At one prestigious corporation, executives even attended a lecture given by new hires from the MZ generation, creating quite a buzz. The heart of the 2030 electorate was also considered a decisive factor in the last election. As the keyword has become more prominent, academic research on the subject has increased, and various writings and papers are readily available. Now, even articles featuring 90s-born professors are emerging, making it clear that a new wave of generations has arrived in academia. Over a decade has passed since the in...

The COVID-19 pandemic has held sway over the globe for over two years now, yet the fervor of countless experts involved in internationalization at local Korean universities remains undeterred. In January, approximately 230 faculty and staff members from various local universities converged at the 22nd regular general meeting of the Korean Association of International Educators in Jeju. The gathering served as a platform for them to engage in fervent dialogues on innovation and development in international exchange, as well as the management of foreign student recruitment. This could be attributed not only to their concerted efforts toward internationalizing domestic universities, but potentially also to their experience working in American universities operating within Korea. The idea of 'internationalization' has entrenched itself as a top policy priority in our universities for over two decades. Despite apprehensions over rapid quantitative growth and the manifestation of uni...