In 2018, the University of Seoul (UOS) is planning a variety of events to celebrating its centennial. In May, some major events were held on and off campus. The UOS Times presents a summary of some of these events for the readers who missed them.
(1) Celebration Ceremony
On May 2, UOS held a ceremony to mark the centennial. It took place on a special stage in front of the Main Auditorium, from 10:30 a.m. to around noon. The event started with a short video about the university’s history.
UOS President Won Yun-hi and Park Won-soon, the mayor of Seoul, attended and presented congratulatory remarks. Many members of faculty, students, and alumni attended the event and offered congratulations for the 100 years of history. Several dignitaries, including the president of the alumni association and representatives from the Seoul municipal council and the National Assembly, also attended. The event continued with a video message from global partners, presenting certificates of merit to former university presidents. The ceremony climaxed with an unveiling of UOS’s vision statement, the burial of a time capsule, and singing of the school song.
Despite the positive atmosphere of these commemorations, however, there was some difficulty: heavy rain. UOS provided the rain coats for the special guests, but the rain was quite heavy at times.
After the main event, two school cafeterias, the one at the Natural Science Building and at the Student Hall, served free lunch for citizens and school members.
(2) Celebration Concert, Sculpture Exhibition
Each department also presented its own events to celebrate the 100th anniversary For example, the Department of Music held a 100th anniversary concert, while the Department of Environmental Sculpture presented an exhibition of works by its students and faculty..
The music concert was held at the Lotte Concert Hall on May 3. Tickets for the concert were only available to UOS students, faculty, and citizens of Seoul, through the UOS website. The event was meaningful because UOS students and Seoul citizens participated as concert performers. The 90-minute concert featured choral works, vocal music, and orchestra ensembles.
The sculpture exhibition consisted of nearly 100 works. The sculptures were exhibited at Kyongnong Hall, the Design and Sculpture Building, the lobby of Mirae Hall, inside and outside the University Center, and at the Red Brick Gallery. The exhibit was held from April 30 to May 25.
(3) International Symposium
In one particularly notable event, Kajita Takaaki, a researcher who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2015, was invited to participate in a special international symposium. He won the Nobel Prize along with Arthur B. McDonald for discovering the vibrations of the neutrino, one of the fundamental particles of the universe. Professor Takaaki presented his basic science research at the UOS Art Hall in the Music Building. Despite the large size of the hall, it was full to capacity, including students majoring in physics, with some students sitting on the stairs to hear the lecture.
During spring semester, there are many events celebrating the 100 years of UOS. Also, for the coming summer vacation, the university has planned various events for this historical year. You can check the latest updates and the original plans at the 100th-anniversary website (100th.uos.ac.kr).
By Shin Jeong-ho, Kim Ji-young