| The main gate of Kyung Hee University's campus in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul / Courtesy of Kyung Hee University |
By Chung Hyun-chae
The publication of the "Kyung Hee Report on the Future of the University" holds significant meaning because it offers a new vision for higher education.
Kyung Hee University published the report on June 5 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the school's founding.
The publication also came on the 50th anniversary of the "Founder's Message for the Centennial of Kyung Hee," published in 1964 by school founder Dr. Choue Young-seek.
In the message, Dr. Choue presented a clear vision for Kyung Hee University for the next 100 years to transform it into a prestigious university in the world while stressing the importance of nurturing world leaders.
"Our objective with the publication of the report this time is to use our collective intelligence in order to understand where we stand now and to identify values that could help us build a better university," a school official said.
The report includes the results of two surveys at the school of some 14,000 students out of a total of 25,000 from April 2014 through last February.
The first survey, "The Future Report," consisted of 65 questions about five themes _ myself, Korea, human civilization, university and higher education, and Kyung Hee University.
The second survey, "The Future of the University and Core Values: Personification and Reputation Analysis," asked what values Kyung Hee should pursue.
The surveys were based on in-depth interviews in which respondents were asked to explain their answers.
The answers that the school highlighted were given in response to the questions: "What is of most importance to me now and what will I value most in 50 years?" and "Why am I studying for a college education?"
To the first question, 39 percent of respondents chose happiness as most important for now and the future. This sheds light on how students understand that the pursuit of happiness is a reflection of the uncertainties that they face every day.
To the second question, 34.3 percent of respondents said that they need a university education to get a job. And another 21.8 percent said they wanted a higher education to expand their academic background and alumni network.
"Although we found that students have a negative perception of reality including today's college education, we also realized that they have strong desires and hopes," the school official said.
The school has a plan to conduct additional surveys to supplement its report.
"In the near future, we plan to conduct more surveys to focus more on the responses of the faculty, staff, alumni, and other stakeholders than on the students' opinions expressed in the first stage," the official said.