| New President to Lead KU for Next Four Years |
| The Inauguration Ceremony of Dr. Lee Ki-Su as the 17th president |
Cho Jaeyeon
Dr. Lee Ki-Su (’65, Law) was elected leader of Korea University (KU) for the next four years. The Korea University Foundation appointed President Lee as the 17th KU president on January 17. Graduating from KU in 1969, President Lee took a doctorate degree from the University of Tubingen, and has been a KU professor since 1984. His various external careers include the president of the Korean Law Professor Association and the chairman of the Korean German Society.
The inauguration ceremony of the newly appointed President Lee Ki-Su was held at the Inchon Memorial Hall on February 1. A hall full of students and alumni, who were all in a festive mood, greeted the new captain of KU. As the orchestra played the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, the Deans of each college and the former presidents of KU entered the hall. Hyun Seong-jong, the chairman of the Korea University Foundation, made a speech and delivered the new president the golden key which symbolizes the authority of the president.
In his inauguration speech, President Lee emphasized the importance of globalization and globalized KU. “Globalization is not something that we can ignore while being part of today’s world.” he said. President Lee added “KU must achieve a global harmony within this tide of change for our university to take its place as a true world-class institution of higher learning.” To achieve it, he suggested three the most important values: unity, a global network, and creativity. He pledged that he will build a campus in Los Angeles that will hopefully act as a stepping stone towards a globalized KU. Furthermore, President Lee said that he will help build a tradition for KU that will embrace both present-day and early style traditions in academics.
Presidents of prestigious universities in Korea offered their congratulations by attending the ceremony. Lee Jang-Moo, President of Seoul National University (SNU), gave a remark saying that he was proud to state that newly appointed President Lee is not only a KU graduate but also a SNU alumnus. President Kim Han Joong of Yonsei University and Lee Bae Yong of Ewha Womans University also came and celebrated the inauguration.
After the ceremony, The Granite Tower (GT) asked Chairman Hyun Seung-jong of Korea University Foundation to share a few words about the new president. He answered, saying “Considering both his academic background and experience, Dr. Lee is the perfect fit to become the next president of KU.” Many others crowded around President Lee to congratulate him and also to take pictures with him. He complied with all request with a big smile on his face.
Though President Lee Ki-Su has taken office with a magnificent inauguration ceremony, he is already facing problems at the start of the New Year. One of the two major problems President Lee is facing is the KU Law School issue. This concerns the Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development having assigned 120 students to KU Law School, a number lower than SNU and the same as Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University.
Another dilemma is with the students who are asking for a cancellation of their expulsion they had to face as a reprimand for detaining professors a few years back.
The 5.9% increased rate of tuition fee this year is yet another problem to solve. The world ranking of KU fell down to 243rd place last year (announced by The Times). Every member of KU expects the newly appointed President to solve all the problems and transform KU as he pledged, to a global institution that will come into the spotlight in the world.
출처 : 고려대학교 고파스 2024-04-29 22:36:19:
