Seoul National University of Science and Technology (President Jong-ho Kim) held the “2018 New Year Kickoff Meeting” in the 100th Memorial Hall on January 2 to welcome the new year full of energy. About 500 employees, including professors working in major administrative positions and university personnel, and President Jong-ho Kim participated in the meeting on this date. Director Gwang-han Lim of the Division of General Affairs moderated the event, during which government prizes were delivered, excellent staff were awarded the university president commendation, the New Year address was given by President Jong-ho Kim, and transferred directors and heads of department were introduced, respectively.

“I am confident that our university has the capability to further develop and grow,” Kim said in his New Year address. “It is my hope that everyone would cooperate and join forces to write a new history of achievements in 2018 as well so that we may complete the true mandate of the university,” he commented.

After the meeting, all university personnel had rice cake soup and shared words of blessing.



▲ (Clockwise from the upper left) President Jong-ho Kim giving his New Year Address, photo op of excellent staff who won commendation awards, participants chanting the school song in unison, and sharing words of blessing with those in major positions

Government prizes

◆ Commendation Award for people who have contributed to managing government goods (President of the Republic of Korea Commendation Award) ▲ Laboratory Center Hye-gyeong Lee ◆ Exemplary civil servant (Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Commendation Award) ▲ Library Gwi-hyeong Cho ◆ Commendation Award for people who have contributed to the university lecturer system work (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea Commendation Award) ▲ Division of Academic Affairs, Office of Academic Affairs Min-yeong Jeon ◆ Commendation Award for people who have contributed to cyber safety (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea Commendation Award) ▲ information Technology Center Sang-ho Song



Excellent staff prizes (University President Commendation Awards)

▲ Division of Academic Affairs, Office of Academic Affairs Yu-jeong Sim ▲ Division of Educational Affairs, Office of Academic Affairs Gyeong-mi Lee ▲ Division of Planning and Evaluation, Office of Planning Eun-jeong Cho ▲ Division of Finance and Property, Bureau of General Administration Hyeon-seung Chung ▲ Division of Facilities Management, Bureau of General Administration Se-hwa Oh ▲ Library Yun-hui Park ▲ Office of Admissions Jang-geun Lee ▲ Public Relations Center Seon-ok Kim ▲ Information Technology Center Yun-yeong Seo ▲ Human Resources Development Center In-hye Park ▲ Office of International Education Eun-suk Ahn ▲ Institute for Innovative Higher Education Won-gi Cho ▲ Department of Electronics and IT Media Engineering, College of Information and Communication Engineering Geon-seon Lim ▲ Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation Center Gyeong-jin Lee ▲ Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation Center Seong-ho Choi ▲ Office of Administration, College of Engineering Ji-hye Hyeon ▲ Department of Mechanical System and Design Engineering, College of Engineering Yu-jin Sin ▲ Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, College of Information and Communication Engineering Sang-jin Park ▲ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Energy and Biotechnology Hyeon-jin Sin ▲ Department of Design, College of Art and Design Hyeon-su Jang ▲ Department of English Language and Literature, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Hui-rae Park ▲ Manufacturing Systems and Design Engineering, College of Business and Technology Na-ri Park ▲ Human Resources Development Center Gi-seok Kang ▲ Good Morning C.O.M. Chan-gi Ha ▲ Korea Elderly Support Foundation Myeong-ok Lee



President Jong-ho Kim’s New Year Address

Good morning

The new bright year of 2018 is ahead of us. I, thus, take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who has worked hard in unison and supported us for the university’s development last year.



During the past two years since my having been appointed the president of the university, I have continuously worked to reinforce the basic research infrastructure and improve all kinds of systems to vitalize professor research. Our university has expanded existing programs, developed new programs, and discovered educational fields of advantage to realize the three educational goals of creative education, humanities education, and practical major education, as well as enhance our university’s educational competency. As a result, although not fully satisfactory, our comprehensive ranking evaluated by JoongAng Ilbo in 2017, rose by two steps year-on-year to the 21st and we made the achievement of entering the list of world-class universities in the first year of our having participated in the Times Higher Education (THE) world university rankings.

Esteemed professors, staff, and students;

Now, our university is to take up the challenge of leaping forward further. As I have always mentioned, our university is the only state university located in Seoul with an infrastructure of excellent professors, admission standards that are increasingly getting higher, a green campus we can proudly present to anyone, and other competencies that are better than any other university. It is, therefore, time for us to join forces and march forward to further upgrade our competencies based on internal growth driving forces that we have accumulated so far. Thus, I would like to share a few items I want to pursue this year in 2018 with you, esteemed professors, staff, and students.

First, we should improve the internal and external status of our university.

First, we should work for our university’s real value to be properly acknowledged. We should raise the university’s status externally by participating in all kinds of university evaluations held in Korea and globally and focus on publicizing so that the competency of our university’s professors and students would be properly acknowledged by companies. Internally, let us work hard to create a campus environment wherein the humanities, health, and art are harmoniously merged so that all professors, staff, and students may be satisfied. Based on communication and trust among professors, staff, and students, let us create a university culture of respecting people and being considerate of others. I believe that such university culture and ambiance will ultimately help nourish and educate creative talents wherein the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), and Charisma Quotient (CQ) are harmoniously merged.

Second, we should discover and develop representative educational and research brands of the university.



I would like us to discover and intensively develop educational programs and research fields that can represent the intrinsic value of Seoul National University of Science and Technology. In the educational field, I would like us to pursue the New BEAR program with the goal of educating the most outstanding applied technology students. We should also dutifully manage educational courses connected to business startups, smart cars, big data business management, and unmanned self-driving vehicles under the goal of educating creative talents with integrated thinking abilities. Furthermore, I plan to develop and manage educational programs in each department that are exclusively taught in English so that non-Korean students, exchange students, and Korean students may all attend. I also plan to jointly manage educational courses with foreign universities to set the foundation for our university to become a global educational institution. We should equally work hard to develop representative research fields unique to our university by anticipatively discovering and developing research fields related to future key technologies, such as the fourth industrial revolution and defense, as well as niche research fields differentiated from other universities.

Third, we should prepare measures to continuously consolidate financial resources.

The financial condition of our university has not been easy lately because of external factors, such as the tuition freeze for the last nine years, the switching of temporary employees into regular full-time employees this year, and the rise in minimum wage. Internally, we had to bear with uncontrollable expenditures that amount to 80% of the university’s accounting and rising expectations for the training, research, and welfare support of the staff. However, I plan to pursue various international educational programs such as Korean language courses for foreigners and draw more international students. In addition, I would like us to reach 100% recruitment rate of students outside the quota for the College of Multidisciplinary Studies Toward Future and dutifully manage educational courses for the Graduate School of Railway so that we may consolidate continuous and stable financial resources.

Fourth, we should innovate the university’s administration and financial management.



In 2018, I would like to introduce a budget allocating system connected to the university’s development plan. This would help establish execution plans for each field according to the mid- to long-term development plan of the university, allocate the necessary budget for them without duplication, and innovatively improve the efficiency of the university’s budget management based on analyses of project achievements. In addition, I plan to reallocate and reinforce the staff workforce in a balanced way to enhance the administrative efficiency of the university; introduce a system of inviting professors and lecturers; prepare measures to improve the management of courses; analyze achievements made by contract departments and advanced specia list courses, and restructure them; as well as improve the management of departments. Furthermore, I would like us to reasonably improve the system of evaluating the achievements made and competency of the staff; vitalize the opinion proposing system so that the staff may easily propose good opinions during work; and simplify work by developing computer programs for administration.

Fifth, we should build an innovative and leading educational model for the College of Multidisciplinary Studies Toward Future

The College of Multidisciplinary Studies Toward Future is building an innovative and leading educational system in many ways. The college is managed based on four quarters and credit registration system, and one can attend online, video, or debating classes under the new education method called Team-Based Learning (TBL). The college plans to lower the barriers among six different departments to jointly manage educational courses, such as common courses for integrated learning and joint business startup capstone projects. In addition, unlike other colleges, it manages a comprehensive administration office for the entire college and not by department. I would like us to pursue this innovative and leading educational model as a demand-driven demonstration project differentiated from other colleges.



Dear esteemed SeoulTech family:

Our university’s structural reform will be evaluated for the second time this year. Unlike the first cycle, universities will be evaluated not on a national scale but a regional one, to the point that our university will compete with other universities located in the Seoul metropolitan area. Given the nature of a state university, it is realistically difficult to change and lead at the speed of private universities. We should just join hearts and work in unison, and I am confident that we will then get good results during the second round of evaluations of our structural reform. I, thus, ask for your active cooperation. At times, being considerate and understanding of others can raise the status of our university.

I am confident that our university has the full capacity to further develop and grow. Although the journey of completing the university’s original mandate is at times difficult, I can resolve with new hope and determination thanks to everyone’s hard work. It is my hope that we would all cooperate this year as well so that we may write a new history of achievements.

Last but not least, I take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to professors, staff, and students who have actively cooperated and worked hard for the school’s development despite difficult conditions last year. I wish you happiness and good health in the new year, and it is my hope that 2018 would be a year in which we would more closely communicate among each other.

Thank you.