한번 다들 읽어봐 총장이 열심히 뛰어다니는걸 느낄수 있어 ㅎㅎ 총장 인터뷰 - KoreaHerald (2007.1.11) [EDUCATION] Globalization an ongoing effort for HUFS Following is the first in a series of interviews with the heads of Korean universities. - Ed. After a year of continuous labor unrest, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is embarking on a range of projects to globalize education and expand its facilities. Over the next five years, the university plans to raise 200 billion won ($216 million) to accomplish a long list of projects, dubbed the HUFS Vision 2016. The 10-year projects include expanding overseas study programs for its students and establishing a new campus in Incheon and an international village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The university also plans to expand its Seoul campus, including the library and dormitory, along with digitalizing its second campus in Yongin and increasing the number of scholarship programs for students. These projects will revitalize the university both internally and externally, said university president Park Chul. "The students at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies need to be trained to gain insights to what may happen internationally in the future," Park said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. With the specialized fields of studies only offered at HUFS, he said, he wants to raise more "cultural specialists" rather than the more common regional experts. "Acquiring languages must be a basic but I want to strengthen the general culture classes so that we can become a leader in raising globally-fit professionals," Park said. However, he did admit he encountered difficulties with the school's labor union, beginning only a month after he took his seat as university president. "Last year was a challenging year for all of us but we are reborn and this year will be a fresh start and a year of radical transformation. "Beginning this year, the university is going forward with several new projects. All students will be required to acquire two languages in order to graduate and about 400 students will participate in the '7+1' system," Park said. Through the system, students complete seven semesters at the university and have an opportunity to study abroad in their last semester. "We expect every student who entered in 2006 to take part in the program," he said. The university was also the first to sign an agreement with the Foreign Ministry last July to send student ambassadors to other nations and assign student interns to 16 countries starting March, said Park. "My plan is to focus on globalization and develop our students into qualified workers who will not face any barriers here and abroad," Park added. Construction of a third campus will begin in the first half of this year in Songdo City, Incheon, to add to Park's ongoing efforts for globalization, he said. <**2> The new 69,300 square meter campus, which will be ready by August 2008, will be composed of a center for interpretation and translation, an international business information center, an institute that offers Korean culture classes and student dormitory facilities that can accommodate up to 300 students. The building of an international village for language learning on its Yongin campus is also being negotiated with the Yongin City government, Park said. Yongin City would provide the buildings on university land, he explained. "If this works out, we have a vision of transforming Yongin into an international cultural town for everyone," Park said. Park, a 58-year-old lifelong scholar, said he plans to expand the number of languages covered by the university's foreign language examinations, or FLEX, from seven to 19 different languages. The university is currently collecting data and conducting research in a joint effort with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in this regard, he said. "For example, we have examinations for the foreign languages that are commonly taught to Koreans such as English, French and Chinese but we don't have exams for Vietnamese or Polish," said Park, adding that the university will invest 1 billion won by 2009 in this project. HUFS students will be required to pass FLEX in order to graduate. Park said he will not only push to improve foreign-language education but also strive to introduce a better learning system for foreign students studying in Korea. The university launched a Korean language and culture education institute for foreigners on its Seoul campus in August and university officials said they are expecting to educate about 1,000 foreign students this year. "Teaching Korean as a foreign language is becoming more important with "hallyu" - the Korean Wave phenomenon - and with Korea's rise in international standing," he said. "As a result, we are coming up with a set of plans to send talented people overseas and make Korea more appealing to people outside the country." But barriers do exist when it comes to implementing the plans. According to Park, more financial support from the government would speed up producing qualified specialists, such as Middle East regional and cultural experts. "We, as a private university, need more support from the government to cultivate the best," Park said. The university has received a total of 4.6 billion won since 2005 from the government to cultivate regional professionals for its BRICs program (Brazil, Russia, India and China), but Park said that is not enough. "I think we will need about 10 billion won a year for about five to six consecutive years to groom the leaders needed in the field," he said. Another hurdle for the university is excessive government control on university policies - mainly regarding its student selection process, he said. "Student selection requirements should vary according to the university's specialization, but the government tends to lay out too many limitations and restrictions, even in essay writing exams," he said. "Universities should be granted greater autonomy because they are all different. Universities should be evaluated by students and parents, not the government." However, Park agreed that universities must change along with today's society. "The teaching methods of professors must change in order to offer education that puts emphasis on creativity and a stricter evaluation system needs to be introduced," he commented. Park said professors may be challenged by the introduction of numerous new policies but this transformation is necessary. "The results of the new policies will soon be seen. I'm willing to accept the challenges and move to implement the projects. I already have a dream of transforming this university into one that will be a top choice for students by 2008," Park said. (sharon@heraldm.com) By Cho Ji-hyun