Congratulations! Greetings to the first anniversary of your inauguration, would you give me your impressions as the president for a year?

Above all, I gave priority to amplifying the infrastructure for school development and to promoting the better atmosphere. After taking the office, I was always running for the UOS. As a result, there were remarkable growth and achievements.

For example, wrap-up of the construction of the Information Technology Building, increase of the number of school faculty members, drastic augmentation of budget for general accounts, establishment of the Graduate Schools of Design and Laboratory for Local Taxes, expansion and relocation of the Continuing Education Center to Gwanghwamun.

Also, I have tried to produce the atmosphere of harmony and prosperity among the members of the UOS. To achieve the goal, many events such as, seminars that report how to prosper the departments, meetings with the faculty members of each Dept., awards to honored student, prizes to excellent staff members, workshops with the graduate`s association, parties for the friendship among the faculty members, and `Ddeok-guk` with professors were held. Until now, I have often faced adversities. Above all, the Dept. of Korean Language and Literature`s scandal was the most difficult and saddest event. Before I took the office of president, it had already been in the worst state.

Obligation was piled high like a mountain with heartbreaking. It was hard to return the Continuing Education Center to life, which was supposed to close down. In addition, when I raised first the developmental funds for the school, I had to cheer up from all my body.

It was pointed out that faculties have to improve their ability as specialists in the administration of education. According to the indication, several opinions were raised: transferring the rights of personnel management to the president or rearranging the administrative organization. If you have plans about this, how is it going on?

In an aspect of organization, the administration couldn`t keep its sustenance, for the reason that the staff members have been shifted to the other departments every three or four years. Parts of specialized departments plan to negotiate about substituting regular administrative officials for temporary employees with establishments of Seoul.

In addition, the research of reorganizing the current administration arrives in the completion. According to the result of the research, it will be modified. It seems that the `Upgraded UOS` has drawn a picture of the future UOS. Would you tell me about the blue-print?

To advance the UOS, all parts of the school have to be upgraded. Also, it has to be armed with international competitiveness against the 21C society: the Society of Knowledge, the Information-Oriented Society and the Global Community.

In addition, we must perceive the facts that the UOS is a university managed by the local autonomous entity and particularize the characteristics of Seoul as an international metropolis. And I wish the ‘Upgraded UOS’ to be excellent in its education of every department and outstanding in specialized departments like the Dept. of Urban Science.

In other words, the UOS has to set the goal: to become a university pursuing the substantial and specialized university even if it is small; domestically, to firmly become a Top 10 university as a particularized one; and internationally, to become a university to satisfy the global standard.

These days, students` international sense is more important now than ever before. To promote a cosmopolitan outlook, the necessity of establishing a Korean Language Institute for foreigners and admitting foreign students into domestic schools as well as interacting with oversea universities is supposed. How do you think about it?

Now, to lift the students` international sense, the Global Leadership Program (GLP) and the Free-backpack Travel during this summer vacation are in progress.

Also, we are trying to extend the area of interchange with the oversea universities. Moreover, we are planning to promote the student exchanges with the prestigious universities in China and the U.S.A. Based on the principle of the reciprocity, it`s essential to admit the student from oversea universities.

It is also indispensable to construct the `International Exchange Building` and the `Korean Language Institute`. Following is required: to consider taking students from developing countries into the graduate school of Science and Engineering. At the present, the `International Exchange Building` is being constructed along with the dormitory.

And establishing the `Korean Language Institute` is under investigation. Particularly, the Korean Language Institute is requisite not only for foreign students to learn Korean, but also for the UOSian`s to pass the Graduation Certification System.

Finally, would you give a message that relates to prosperity of the UOS or other comments to the UOSian?

In order to be ranked as a prestigious school, the UOS must try to self-improve and be reoriented in the way of thinking as well as expanding the materials and manpower resources. My roles are: holding up the future outlines and encouraging all the school members to devote their duties.

Actually, I think that pioneers bringing the UOS to the level of a prestigious college are the professors and the students. It`s time to harmonize through the campus for the `Upgraded UOS`.
저작권자 © The UOS Times(서울시립대영자신문) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지