Students, professor, employees and the alumni association vow to ‘overcome university crisis’
YU president visits the alumni association, professors association, and labor union to urge to ‘work together for coexistence’
Recruiting outstanding students, improving the academic structure, procuring financial integrity, etc. contained in the ‘joint cooperation declaration’
[April 20, 2021]
Members of YU (President CHOI Oe-chool) made a joint cooperation declaration to overcome the survival crisis and for the sustainable development of the university
At this declaration ceremony held at the YU Chunma Art Center Convention Hall at 10 a.m. On the 20th, the main members of the university such as students, professors and employees, as well as the alumni association were in attendance. YU President CHOI Oe-chool, Alumni Association Chairman Jung Tae-il, Professors Association Chair Kim Sam-soo, Labor Union President Kwon Ki-young, and Student Council President Kim Dong-gyu gathered for this event. This is the first time that a university in Korea made a joint cooperation declaration for mutual development including even the alumni association in the current situation where the very existence of survival for universities have become a social issue.
YU initially pursued a joint cooperation declaration among the college members. But the alumni association welcomed this news and stated their intent to participate in the joint cooperation declaration, and ended up joining the declaration.
YU Alumni Association Chairman Jung Tae-il attended this declaration ceremony and said, “After hearing news that members of YU teamed up to overcome the current crisis, I could not standby idly as the chairman of the YU Alumni Association. Our 250,000 or so alumni that are working in all parts of society will share my thoughts.” He added, “I trust that our 250,000 alumni who are working hard for the nation and the Korean people will happily help for the development of our alma mater. Today’s joint cooperation declaration will act as the starting point.”
In particular, CHOI Oe-chool, who was inaugurated as the president of YU back in February, actively worked to make this joint cooperation declaration. Even before his inauguration, YU President CHOI emphasized the importance of harmony among college members to recruit outstanding students, overcome the crisis of the university, and to achieve sustainable development. He visited representatives of the members such as the student council, professors association, and labor union to explain the university’s development plans such as recruiting outstanding students and asking them to give their support. They accepted President CHOI’s request, which resulted in this joint cooperation declaration to sound the signal for the new beginning of YU.
YU Student Council President Kim Dong-gyu stated, “It is an honor to be able to represent the students at this place of harmony for all members of the university. The student council is also making various efforts to communicate with students. We will do our role as a bridge so that members of the college can communicate and harmonize with students.”
The members of YU agreed to cooperate actively to overcome crises and for co-development based on mutual respect and trust as groups bound a common destiny. In particular, this declaration states that opinions of the members will be gathered for the goal of strengthening the competitiveness of universities and sustainable development through the recruitment of outstanding students, reform the academic structure, and procure financial integrity in order to actively respond to social demands. They made their first step for agreement of members to preemptively respond to environmental changes within and outside of the university such as the dropping school-age population.
YU President CHOI Oe-chool commented, “YU, which has a history of 74 years, had faced countless difficulties over the time, and overcame each one of them. Today’s university environment is a crisis unparalleled to that of any past difficulties. But I believe in the capacities of the members of our university and believe that we are more than capable to overcome them.” He added, “At this time when it is difficult to foresee the future of our university, the student council, professors association, labor union, and even the alumni association pledged to work together and cooperate to overcome this crisis. YU now stands at a new starting line. We will recruit outstanding students and engage in specialized education to foster new human resources who will write new history. We are waiting for people who have huge ambitions and that will contribute to self-realization and to the human society. Let’s all work together to foster outstanding human resources that will create the new future.”
