KS's Global Insights into Higher Education

At the end of last June, reports surfaced that 52 major universities across South Korea, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, and KAIST, had decided to abstain from participating in the QS World University Rankings. This news sent ripples through the academic community. In 2023, marking its 20th anniversary, QS announced a revamp of its evaluation system. The modifications were criticized by South Korean universities for seemingly favoring Western institutions, leading to a collective backlash. On June 25th, the essence of the "ultimatum" delivered to QS was as follows: the newly introduced evaluation system by QS has flaws, thus the release of the world university rankings should be delayed; if the rankings are released as planned, they should be deemed invalid; henceforth, South Korean universities will not provide data to QS, and will permanently withdraw from QS World University Rankings. Regardless of the representation and influence ...

From October 2022 to May 2023, I led research to analyze the patterns of organizational change and the responses of domestic universities to more effectively attract and manage foreign students during the COVID-19 period. Z University was selected as a single-case study. Through interviewing 11 professionals in international higher education or strategic planning at the case institution, we collected and analyzed qualitative data using the grounded theory method. The results were then presented within the theoretical framework of Lewin's 3-stage change model. Below is a brief summary of the research findings and policy recommendations that I present with my co-researcher Ms. Dahee NAM and Professor Hyun-seok SHIN at Korea University. In light of the recent pandemic, our study offers critical insights that underscore the necessity of a holistic approach towards understanding the educational and strategic significance of foreign students in Korean universities. It delineates potentia...