Ewha President Suggests Ewha Blue Print to be Global Hub for Womens Education Dong-A Ilbo Interview
- 작성처
- Date2012.12.28
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The following article is the full text of the interview printed in Dong-A Ilbo on December 4, 2012.
[To the World . . . to the Future 2012’s University Tour]
“We are not satisfied with being the best of Korea. We will form the hub of women’s education,” said Sun-Uk Kim, Ewha’s president.
“I saw a group photo of scientists taken in 1911 when I visited Belgium’s Solvay, the international chemistry corporation last year. I recognized the only female—Marie Curie—among many male scientists, along with Einstein. I had hope after listening to their remarks that Korea’s Marie Curie may come from Ewha.”
The appearance of President Kim was different than what one would expect from her profile. President Kim was Korea’s first female Director of the Legislative Office, who received her doctorate degree of law from Germany. Her inauguration as Ewha’s President in August 2010 signaled a turning point in her interests. When we met President Kim in her office on the Ewha campus in Seodaemun-gu of Seoul on November 27, Kim was absorbed in globalism and science rather than law.
Thinking about Ewha in Globalization
President Kim likes the dictum “non nobis solum,” which is Latin for “not for ourselves alone.” Her dream of sharing Ewha’s achievements with the world, as well as Korea is encapsulated by this phrase, as well as her aspiration to go beyond being Korea’s best women’s college to become the women’s college that is serving the world.
In order to achieve her hope, President Kim is endeavoring to develop the university’s capabilities by gathering talented women from around the world. Ewha’s Global Partnership Program (EGPP), which educates women from developing countries to form leaders who can change their home countries, offers financial support through full scholarships and living expenses. Other programs that help spread Ewha’s mission include the Ewha-KOICA master’s degree for women working in the government and public institutions and the Ewha Global Empowerment Program (EGEP) for women activists of non-government public fields, which started in 2012.
“Until now, Ewha has been known as a renowned women’s college by competing with many coeducational schools,” President Kim said. “From now on, it is time to develop our own new things as well as emphasize women’s education. We will become the global hub of women’s education from women’s perspectives, not only for Korea but also for the world.”
Raising the global competencies of undergraduates is one of Ewha’s highest priorities. Unlike some colleges, which try to grow quantitatively, Ewha is determined to globalize through improving its qualities.
“We paved the way for international students to come to Korea by developing agreements with 64 countries and 829 colleges and institutions,” President Kim said. “It is important to give talented people opportunities to receive a top education in Korea by developing their global capabilities and not contributing to brain drain abroad.”
Worries about Ewha’s Future
President Kim believes in developing science, which will is a key to the future. Kim laughed after saying “I often hear that I am the president of majors other than law.” Kim said with emphasis that Ewha has always regarded science as one of the most important areas.
“If you look at Ewha’s historiography, there is a picture of Ewha’s seniors who made experiments by operating braziers even when they were going through war,” Kim said. “Ewha started teaching natural education since 1950s. Matching Ewha’s endeavors to start an early science education, we are moving toward globalization at a fast pace.”
Kim explained that Ewha will not regard literae humaniores as trivial even if it emphasizes science. Kim added that investment in science is crucial for Ewha’s long-term development. By raising its science ability, Ewha can develop as a comprehensive research university and increase its financial independence by attracting investment in R&D. In this way, developing its research capacity is a sound way for the university to realize its educational value.
President Kim said, “We are investing in science for the future. We will see the long-term results. I don’t have the greed to reap the benefits during my term as president.”
Ewha is well equipped with the infrastructure to cooperate across liberal arts, science, and other fields of science. If Ewha transferred the money it invested in science to liberal arts, it could become the best college in liberal arts right away.
Responding to the reason for the large investment in science, President Kim said, “I hope that Ewha’s professors and students can achieve Korea’s first Nobel science prize, as I have a strong belief that this is our direction and possible future.” Kim smiled when she made this remark, probably thinking of Ewha’s endeavors toward achieving its dreams.
Dream about a Residential College
Ewha has continuously innovated its departments and curriculums to raise its competitiveness. Through its 11 colleges and 15 graduate schools, it has produced many Korean female leaders.
Many first females in various fields, including Korea’s first female Prime Minister, doctor, and lawyer, all came from Ewha. Half of past female ministers and one-third of female congressmen are from Ewha. The university has also produced the highest number of successful female applicants in a recent state examination.
President Kim suggested a clear vision to make Ewha more developed in her remaining term of office, based on potentiating existing energy: creating “Ewha’s talented people,” demanded for in this new age and formed through well-rounded education combining professional knowledge and character development. In order to achieve this, Ewha is preparing to induct a residential college system.
It plans to have all freshmen receive leadership education by sleeping and eating together. This tradition is based on Korea’s first dormitory, named “Ewha school”, which was used as a classroom at daytime and a dormitory at night. In order to implement this system, Ewha will build a dormitory that can accommodate up to 1,800 students. Around 200 students will receive a trial camp training in the second semester of next year, and all the freshmen will receive the education from 2015 onward.
The level of satisfaction of school life is higher among seniors than students in lower years in Ewha. This may be because Ewha maximizes, supports, and encourages students’ capabilities. Some believe that the role of the college finishes at graduation, but Ewha is plans to further support students after graduation.
“We will take care of Ewha students at least for 10 years after their graduation. We will support them to share one another’s knowledge and help them be valuable members of society,” president Kim said.
“Science Ewha”
It is generally presumed that women’s colleges focus on liberal arts, language, culture and arts; however, Ewha is different. From its early beginnings, Ewha has freely invested money in the science and engineering sectors. Ewha was first in the world to create a women’s engineering college, and is the only women’s university that has both an engineering college and a medical school.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Ewha’s history is tied with women’s medicine and science. In 1887, Korea’s first women-only hospital (Boguyeoguan) is a prime example. Mary Scranton, Ewha’s founder, pitied the lack of services for Korea’s women, who were ashamed to be treated by male doctors in male-oriented hospitals. For this reason, Scranton established the first female-only hospital.
“Boguyeoguan” used to be an educational space, and so produced a female doctor. Esther Park (Jum-Dong Kim is her original name), who worked in Boguyeoguan, became the first Korean female doctor after studying abroad at a women’s medical school in Baltimore in the United States of America.
The medical and pharmaceutical departments were newly established in Hangrimwon, one of the three existing colleges in 1945. This was the first place in Korea where women could receive medical and pharmaceutical education. In December 1945, an affiliated hospital was opened in Dongdaemun in Seoul for female medical students.
The natural science college was officially developed in the 1950s, and professional education began by establishing math, physics, and chemistry, and biology departments in 1951. Ewha established the first female engineering college in the world in 1996, and a gigantic vanguard research complex was constructed by setting up a new department of engineering in 2008.
The dream of “Science Ewha” came into the spotlight of educational as Ewha achieved it in the last two consecutive years. A case in point is the industrial-educational cooperation with Solvay, an international chemical group. Solvay is scheduled to invest $21,500,000 and establish the global headquarter R&D center in a special chemical sector at the Ewha campus in 2013. It is the first case that multinational corporation establishes a global R&D center in a domestic college.
This year, Ewha has been chosen as a research institute of IBS after defeating big-name competitive colleges. IBS is a large-scale state project, financially supported by the government with a maximum of 100 billion Korean won for 10 years with an aim to be within the world’s top 10 research institutions in the basic science sector. Ewha was able to win in the IBS bidding process, in which major private colleges competed, thanks to its methodical preparation, and by bringing in Dr. Gabriel Appli, an internationally renowned scholar.
Ewha has been able to construct medical infrastructure without compromising earlier investments in medical and pharmaceutical colleges. Based on this, Ewha plans to open a major hospital in 2016. It has already started preparations to build an international hospital with more than 1,000 sickbeds in Magok complex, Gangseogu in Seoul. The Ewha representative said, “By taking advantages of the adjacent location to Gimpo International Airport and collaborating with Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, we will make an up-to-date high-end hospital.”