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, ...