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Gwanrye and gyerye event with international students for the '45th Coming-of-Age Ceremony' Experiencing traditional coming-of-age ceremonies and the charms of traditional Korean culture [May 15, 2017] <Gwanrye and gyerye with international students on the 45th coming-of-age ceremony> At Gugye-seowon inside of the YU Gyeongsan Campus Folk Village at 2 p.m. on the 15th international students wearing gat (traditional hat for men) and binyeo (ornamental hair pieces for women) became the focus of attention. YU (President Sur Gil-soo) held the 'traditional coming-of-age ceremony' event for international students for the 45th coming-of-age day. At this traditional coming-of-age ceremony, a total of eight students including six international students from Mexico, Brazil, Poland, and Ghana wore traditional clothes called dopo and dangui to participate in the 'gwanrye' and 'gyerye'. Ixchel Nayeli Gonzalez-Garcia (23 from Mexico studying at YU as an exchange student said, "We also have a similar traditional coming-of-age ceremony in Mexico. It was really meaningful and fun to be able take part in this traditional ceremony in Korea." He added, "Though I have already come of age, I was able to once again think about my responsibilities as an adult through Korea's traditional coming-of-age ceremony." Gwanrye is a ceremony of placing three gwan, or head pieces, to men who became 20 years old and emphasizes their responsibilities to their family, relatives, and country. It is completed with tying the hair up in a knot and wearing three hats, and the bunri-ceremony of changing clothes, and is completed with a drink of alcohol and announcing to the heavens that one has become an adult. It also includes the myeonjarye ritual of giving an 'alias' to be used instead of one's name as a symbol of protecting one's body and name that was given to them by their ancestors. Gyerye is a ceremony of untying a girl's hair and placing a binyeo, which is an ornamental hair piece, in the hair to announce that a girl has become a woman. At the coming-of-age ceremony, YU President Sur Gil-soo was invited as the big elder for the first ceremony of 'gwanhonsangje' and recited a speech to congratulate male students who became 20 years old, and placed the three hats of chipogeon, yugeon and finally the gat, and tied the strings to officially announce their adulthood. President Sur Gil-soo, who watched the traditional coming-of-age ceremony from start to finish for about two hours, said, "I hope that you will think about the meaning of becoming an adult by participating in the traditional gwanrye and gyerye events," while adding, "I hope that especially for international students, it will be a great memory and an opportunity to gain deeper insight into Korean culture." 'Coming-of-Age Day' falls on the third Monday of May and is a day to naturally remind young adults who became 20 years old of their responsibilities and duties, while congratulating their physical and mental maturation as a young adult.
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Hundreds visit over two days... Big interest in exchange student and overseas internship programs 67 international students from 31 colleges and 16 countries participate to give local tips First-hand experience and information provided through international exchange students and international goodwill ambassadors [May 11, 2017] <2nd YU International EXPO> YU (President Sur Gil-soo) held the '2nd YU International EXPO'. Hundreds of YU students visited this expo over two days on the 10th and 11th displaying their huge interest in internationalization programs. YU held the first EXPO in November of last year to help improve the global capacities of students. This is the second EXPO and it not only provided students with international exchange programs offered by the university such as exchange student programs, but also information on overseas internships and overseas employment. This EXPO was held at the square in front of the clock tower of the front gate of YU on the 10th and 11th hosted by the International Exchange Team international goodwill ambassador and student body. A total of 67 foreign students from 31 universities from 16 countries including the Netherlands, Brazil, Philippines, France and China participated in the event. At each booth designated by country, YU goodwill ambassadors and foreign exchange students studying at YU offered information on exchange student programs and first-hand experiences to YU students. Mateus Ramos from Brasilia University of Brazil who has been studying at YU as an exchange student since February said, "Through the exchange student program, it is not only possible to experience life and education at YU, but also different student activities compared to that of Brazil. It was an opportunity to break preconceptions by actually experiencing different lifestyles and cultures." He added, "I participated in this EXPO because I wanted other YU students to be able to have such a great experience. I wanted to share details on the studying environment of foreign universities and about daily life abroad as an exchange student." At this EXPO, foreign students offered first-hand information based on their own experiences on residences, life, culture and education abroad. In particular, this EXPO allowed Korean and foreign students to share useful information and create a community of harmony, and was thus highly popular among participating students. Kim Gang-min (22, YU School of Fine Arts, sophomore) who received consultation at the French and Thai booths said, "I was always interested in exchange student programs. However, art school students are relatively less interested in exchange student programs, so there was not enough information." He added, "I major in East Asian painting, and this was a good opportunity if it would be possible for a painting major to go abroad as an exchange student, as well as information on how local curricula are operated." Through this EXPO, YU introduced various overseas programs to students such as exchange student programs and global study programs (GSP), while also offering information on overseas employment and internships with the support of the College Creative Job Center. Furthermore, the activities of YU international goodwill ambassador students who prepared for the EXPO were introduced, and received a huge amount of interest from students by holding a parade-recruiting activity to select the 16th international goodwill ambassadors. Jung In-joon (25, School of Economics and Finance, junior), the chairperson of the YU international goodwill ambassadors, said, "By holding the second EXPO following our previous one last year, it appears that the interest of students on exchange student programs and overseas internships increased considerably." He added, "Even if it is not the EXPO, there are all types of information available at the school's International Exchange Team and international goodwill ambassadors. I hope that more students will go beyond being just interested and actually participate in the programs to enhance their global capacities."
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KOSDAQ Association announces results of '2017 KOSDAQ listed company CEO survey' First in non-Seoul universities, reconfirming alumni power in finance sector [April 26, 2017] YU (President Sur Gil-soo) ranked sixth in the nation for graduating CEOs of KOSDAQ listed companies to once again confirm the alumni power in the financial sector. On the 26th, the KOSDAQ Association announced the results after analyzing the education, major and age of CEOs for companies listed in KOSDAQ. Surveys were carried out on the age, place of birth, college, and major of 1,491 CEOs of 1,219 companies listed in KOSDAQ. According to this, it was found that CEOs who are alumni of YU ranked sixth highest. CEOs of KOSDAQ listed companies from Seoul National University led the list at 18.4%, followed by Yonsei University (9.0%), Hanyang University (8.6%), Korea University (7.1%), Sungkyunkwan University (3.7%), and Yeungnam University (3.6%). Excluding the major universities of Seoul, YU graduated the most CEOs of KOSDAQ listed universities. Recently, YU also ranked eighth in the nation in the universities for graduating the most CEOs of the top 500 companies in Korea according to CEO Score, a business performance evaluation website. It was the only university in the top 10 located outside of the Seoul area, thereby demonstrating its status as a prestigious university outside of the capital area. By age of CEOs of KOSDAQ listed companies, CEOs in their 50s accounted for 47.5% of the total, followed by 40s at 22.1%. and 60s at 20.5%. The average age of the CEOs was 55.2 years old. For final education, bachelor's degrees were highest at 54.7%. Master's and PhD holders were 21.9% and 15.3%, respectively. For majors, natural sciences and engineering accounted for almost half of the total at 46.0%, followed by commerce and economics at 36.7%, and humanities and social sciences at 9.9%. For college departments, they were in the order of business administration at 25.8%, electronic engineering (6.6%), and mechanical engineering (4.8%).
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Opening ceremony held on 28th, act as base for youth career guidance and employment support Established 'College Creative Job Center' directly under the YU president for one-stop employment and start-up support Total budget of 3 billion for 5 years from central/local government support and school funding [April 28, 2017] <YU College Creative Job Center opening ceremony> YU (President Sur Gil-soo) opened the ‘College Creative Job Center (Director Kang Seok-bok)’. At 11 a.m. on the 28th at the YU Student Support Center, the 'College Creative Job Center' held its opening ceremony with the attendance of YU president Sur Gil-soo, Gyeongsangbuk-do Vice-governor of economics, Daegu Provincial Employment and Labor Office Director Lee Tae-hee, and Gyeongsan Mayor Choi Young-jo. YU was selected for the 2017 College Creative Job Center operating university by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in February. With the opening of this center, programs to provide career guidance and increase employment rates for youths in the region will begin in earnest. YU is planning to support the career guidance and employment of local youths including its students with a total budget of 3 billion won comprised of central and local (Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsan) government subsidies, and funding from YU for the next five years. YU President Sur Gil-soo aid, "With the construction of the integrated employment support system centering on the College Creative Job Center through the cooperation of central and local governments, and our university, there are high expectations for strengthening of local talents and enhancing youth employment rates." He added, "the YU College Creative Job Center will play the role of a hub to construct a virtuous cycle in which the community, youths and university can coexist." YU is planning to install the College Creative Job Center immediately under the YU president, and it will not only oversee employment support team that is in charge of student career development and employment support, career development team, women's career development team, field support center, and student consulting center, but also provide one-stop employment/start-up support services in connection with the school's start-up education center. The YU College Creative Job Center is planning to engage in tasks such as constructing career/employment-friendly academic systems and infrastructure, construction of school-wide career guidance systems for all students, support for graduated students who have not yet gained employment, classes vulnerable for employment (humanities, sociology, sports/arts, female students, etc.), support local small and medium company employment prospect teams, construct a customized PR channel to increase the level of youth employment that is actually felt, and construct a cooperative system with outside agencies regarding youth employment policies. Meanwhile, the College Creative Job Center project is a program that provides comprehensive employment support services for youths by the Ministry of Employment and Labor together with the local community. This year, 20 universities were selected for this project.
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<70 Years of YU in Records> Exhibit held at 1st floor lobby in central library until the 19th Over 80 major records possessed by YU Museum and donated artifacts by faculty and alumni on display College of Music students to hold <Wednesday Recital> in campus every Wednesday in May from the 10th [May 10, 2017] <70 Years of YU in Records> YU (President Sur Gil-soo) will hold various cultural events for students and the community at the campus in commemoration of the 70th year since the founding of the school. YU opened a commemorative exhibit at 2 p.m. on the 10th at the first floor lobby of the central library that shows the history of YU in a glance. This exhibit, held under the title '70 Years of YU in Records' will be held until the 19th. This exhibit puts on display important records on historical moments in which YU developed into one of Korea's top private educational institutes. The exhibit includes a total of over 80 pieces including records and panels in a total of seven sectors such as the history of YU, admissions, student activities, graduation, campus, education and research, and administration. The pieces on display are records possessed by the YU museum with high historical value and records that were awarded in the 'YU 70th year anniversary Cheonma historic data collection contest'. YU held a contest on historical records of the university for five months from June of last year for faculty, alumni and the general public. During the contest, a total of 2,281 historic pieces including 463 publications, 21 documents, 513 audio/video materials, and 1,284 administrative and historic pieces were collected from individuals and groups including faculty, alumni, honorary professors and students. <'YU 70th year anniversary Cheonma historic data collection contest' award winning records> In addition, students in the College of Music also prepared small recitals for fellow students and community members in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of YU. Students of the YU College of Music majoring in traditional Korean music, vocal music, and orchestra will hold a one-hour recital every Wednesday in front of the Law Hall within the YU campus. They are scheduled to hold a total of four recitals every Wednesday starting with their first one at noon on the 10th. <Students of the College of Music held a recital in campus in commemoration of the 70th year anniversary of YU> YU President Sur Gil-soo said, "YU fostered over 220,000 talented individuals over the past 70 years and has developed to not only a top-notch local university, but one of the most prestigious private educational institutes of Korea." He added, "I hope that students and faculty will gain more pride for YU through the recitals and exhibit to celebrate and look back upon the 70 years of our school, and I also hope that this will be an opportunity for the community to also remember the history of the past 70 years."
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GTEP project team signs MOU on export support with 71 small and medium businesses Participate in overseas exhibits to work on the front lines of small and medium businesses such as consulting and interpretation High rating in last year's annual evaluations, 20 million won additional project budget [April 26, 2017] <YU GTEP project team students providing consultations with buyers at the '2017 Dubai Gulfood Exhibition'> With YU students successfully landing export contracts for small and medium businesses one after the other, they are playing a key role for companies to plunge into overseas markets. Just last year, they recorded a total of two million USD in export contracts. The team was comprised of 30 students who are active as part of the 10th YU Global Trade Experts Incubating Program (hereinafter 'GTEP'). They signed export support MOUs with 71 small and medium companies and were dispatched to domestic and foreign exhibits to promote products and provide consulting for buyers. Last year alone, they were dispatched to 64 foreign exhibits in a total of 14 countries including the 'Dubai AgraME' and 'Dubai Gulfood Exhibition'. Yoon Seok-hee (24, YU Department of International Trade, senior, 10th GTEP project team) who participated in the 'Dubai Auto Mechanica' together with Kyungdong Industries, which is a company specializing in automobile parts, said, "This was a great opportunity to learn about practical knowledge related to overseas sales by collaborating with professionals at overseas exhibits." He added, "It was a fulfilling experience as I was able to enhance my capacities as a trade expert and contribute in leading to actual contracts being signed." Thanks to such achievements, the YU GTEP project team recently received high scores among the 24 GTEP project teams in the annual evaluations by the Korea International Trade Association, and thus procured an additional 20 million won in project budgets. This year, 33 students were selected as the 11th agents and are traveling around the world to help companies tap into foreign markets. As of current, a total of 43 students were dispatched to a total of 25 overseas exhibits such as the Dubai Food Expo, Tokyo Food Expo in Japan, and Festival Evolution Exhibit in the Czech Republic. Professor of International Trade Sohn Sang-beom, who is in charge of the YU GTEP project team said, "Companies are showing high degrees of satisfaction as the students in the project team are working hard in the front lines of exports such as participating in exhibits, and since their efforts are leading to actual contracts." He added, "The students have been displaying abilities similar to that of corporate professionals by analyzing overseas markets and providing consulting for buyers. In particular, by engaging in actual work at overseas exhibits, they are improving their employment competitiveness by gaining experience and expertise and trade experts." Meanwhile, YU has continuously pursued projects to foster young trade experts since 2001 with the support of the government. Starting with the TI (Trade Incubator) project overseen by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in September of 2001, YU has been carrying out young trade expert fostering projects for the past 17 years. YU has currently trained a total of more than 500 trade experts who are acting as the spearhead for exports by small and medium companies. In particular, YU is the only university selected for specialization in the Middle East among the 24 universities selected for the project nationwide. The YU GTEP project team is expected to play a huge role for local small and medium businesses to enter the global market by fostering trade experts who are equipped with language skills and knowledge in trading. <YU GTEP project team students helped companies carry out export operations by participating in the '2017 Dubai Gulfood Exhibit'.>
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Best university in the architecture (construction) sector by the Ministry of Education's '2016 College Rankings by Industries' Joined by employees of 30 companies including Samsung C&T, Hyundai Motors, evaluation of 2,991 corporate questionnaires [April 19, 2017] <School of Architecture field study> ‘What is the best university chosen by companies?‘ YU (President Sur Gil-soo) was selected as the 'best university' by the industrial sector. The Ministry of Education announced the results of the '2016 College Rankings by Industries' on the 18th. In result, YU was selected as the 'best university' in the architecture (construction) sector. The YU School of Architecture was also selected as the best university in the 2012 evaluations, and being chosen once again as the best university proved yet again the superiority of its curriculum. This evaluation was carried out in a total of five fields such as △architecture (construction) △civil engineering △mechanics △automobiles △shipbuilding and marine science, and a total of 39 universities (including multiple winners) were selected as best universities. When broken down, 20 schools were selected for architecture (construction), 11 for civil engineering, 13 for mechanics, 6 for automobiles, and 4 for shipbuilding and marine science. The 'College Rankings by Industries' that the Ministry of Education has been carrying out together with economic organizations since 2008 evaluates colleges based on the perspective of the industrial sector. It evaluates how much the capacities of graduating students fit the capacities of personnel needed by industries. The industries propose the core capacities and relevant curricula for each sector, and it evaluates how well the universities reflect them in their curriculum. This evaluation was joined by employees of 30 companies including Samsung C&T, Hyundai Motors, and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and a total of 2,991 businesses participated in the surveys. Universities selected as best universities in this evaluation will receive plaques under the name of the Ministry of Education, Five Major Economic Groups, and the Korean Council for University Education. Graduates of the winning universities are scheduled to receive employment incentives from member companies of the economic group. Meanwhile, in the 2015 College Rankings by Industries, YU was selected as best university in the metal and food sectors, and was also selected in 2014 for the bio-pharmaceutical sector, 2013 for the electronic semiconductors and information communication sectors, and in the architecture sector in 2012.
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Only university outside of the Seoul area for both national and private schools to be ranked in top 10 Analyzed 480 CEOs in the 'CEO Score' that assesses corporate management performance, 11 from YU [April 12, 2017] YU (President Sur Gil-soo) was ranked 8th in the nation in the rankings of schools for graduating CEOs of the top 500 companies that are leading the financial world of Korea. It is the only university to be placed in the top 10 among schools located outside of the Seoul area for both national and private universities. The academic background of CEOs for the nation's top 500 companies were analyzed by the corporate management performance evaluation site, CEO Score on the 12th. Upon analyzing those whose schools could be confirmed among the 480 CEOs (including owner families) of the 347 companies that submitted business reports among the top 500 companies, it was found that YU was the only university outside of the Seoul area to be placed in the top 10. Seoul National University had the most with 122 people, followed by Korea University (52), Yonsei University (44), Hanyang University (24), and Sungkyunkwan University to lead the group as the top, while YU (11), Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (13), Sogang University (12), and Chungang University/Inha University (10 each) were included in the top 10. Pusan University (8) was ranked 11th, while Kyungpook National University and Dong-A University tied for 12th with seven each. Meanwhile, YU was also ranked 6th in the nation in the school ranking for CEOs in the nation's top 10 companies analyzed and announced by <Modern Management> in 2015, while also playing sixth in for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014 in the KOSDAQ's 'KOSDAQ CEO Survey', demonstrating that alumni of YU are leading the financial world of Korea.
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Recognized as 'next-generation researcher' from the world's most authoritative society in the vision and ophthalmology sector Second Korean to receive this award First Korean to win the 'Global Ophthalmology Research Award' by the European Society of Retina Specialists last year [April 13, 2017] YU School of Medicine Professor Lee Joon-yeop (37, Department of Ophthalmology) was selected as the 2017 'Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award' by the US ARVO (The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology). ARVO is the world's most authoritative academic organization in the ophthalmology and vision sectors that was established in the United States in 1928 for the research, publication of theses, and education in the ophthalmology and vision science sectors. It is the world's largest organization of its kind with over 12,000 ophthalmology and vision science researchers from over 75 countries around the world. The ARVO 'Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award' was enacted in 2006 to encourage the research of young ophthalmology doctors and medical scientists conducting research in the vision science sector. Four to five winners are selected among next-generation researchers with career experience of no more than six years taking into consideration excellence of their studies submitted to the academic conferences, and their research achievements. This year, researchers from the US, Spain and Austria were selected in addition to Professor Lee Joon-yeop. This is the second time for a Korean to win the award since Professor Jung Hye-won at Konkuk University received the award in 2012. The award ceremony will be held at the '2017 ARVO Annual Meeting' that is scheduled to be held in Baltimore, USA from May 7 to 11. Professor Lee investigated that the level of retinal ischemia in retinal detachment patients is a major cause and prognostic factor for vision loss, and reexamined the importance of early surgical procedures to cure retinal ischemia. He is scheduled to make a presentation in commemoration of receiving this award at the ARVO Annual Meeting on the theme of this clinical study. Professor Lee said, "I hope that this study leads to more studies and treatment for retinal detachment patients who are in risk of losing their vision to restore their vision." Professor Lee also made headlines by being the first Korean researcher to receive the Global Ophthalmology Award Program, Research Award by the European Society of Retina Specialists in 2016 for his basic research on macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
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YU President Sur Gil-soo takes part in 'A+ snack delivery' on the morning of the first mid-terms together with professors and student government Encouraged students while handing out cup-rice, beverages and snacks [April 20, 2017] “Dear students! Eat your A+ snack, and best of luck in your tests!” YU President Sur Gil-soo delivered snacks to students coming to school early in the morning of the first day of the 2017 first semester mid-terms. At 7:30 a.m. on the 20th, the YU president and professors came out with the student body to deliver morning snacks for students coming to school early to study for their tests. A long line of students formed at the B1 lobby and staircase of the YU Central Library to receive their snacks. Ok Tae-hee (25, School of Architecture, junior) who stayed up the night studying for the mid-terms said, "I did an all-nighter studying for my exam in the morning. I was really happy with this surprise snack at the library. I hope that I will have good results since I will be taking my exam on a full stomach." Lee Gap-gyeong (24, School of Electric Engineering, senior), who said she came at 6 a.m. to the library to make sure she has a seat, said, "I came to school early to study, and then I stood in line to get a snack." She added, "I am hoping that I will ace the mid-terms since I received a snack from the president of YU. It would be great if we can get snacks every morning during the mid-terms." YU Student Government Chairman Lee Hoon-il (25, School of Electric Engineering, senior), who prepared for this snack event, said, "The student body prepared this snack event hoping that we can help students during their exams, no matter how small the help may be." He added, "Aside from this snack event, we will do our best to help students in their college life." The snack delivery was carried out simultaneously at the basement lobby of the YU Central Library and the first floor lobby of the Science Museum. Cup-rice, beverages and snacks for a total of 800 people were prepared, which emptied out in not even 20 minutes thanks to the high popularity of students. YU President Sur Gil-soo said, "I know that students are tired from studying for their tests and coming to school early, but I hope that our students do well and never forget that myself, professors, and fellow classmates are rooting for you." He added, "I hope that the students have a healthy breakfast and do well in the tests."
