14th YU President Noh, Seok Kyun Begins Term
Inauguration Ceremony at 2PM on the 13th at the Chunma Arts Center Chamber Hall
[February 4, 2013]

 On February 1, 2013, Noh, Seok Kyun (photo) began his official term as the 14th president of YU. The inauguration ceremony will be held at the YU Chunma Arts Center Chamber Hall at 2PM on the 13th.

 President Noh, who was appointed as the 14th president of YU through an executive board meeting on December 21 of last year, will lead YU for the next 4 years with the vision 'YU, the Future: Creating a better future'. President Noh served as a ranking faculty official (deputy director of research), chairperson of the Faculty Assembly, chairperson of the University Council, chairperson of the Yeungnam Educational Foundation Normalization Committee, and the director of the Yeungnam Educational Foundation Planning and Coordination Department, making him the first YU president with experience in major positions for both the university and the foundation.

 He stated, "I am fully aware of the positions of both the university and the foundation so I will be able to help in creating a competitive university through communication and harmony." During his term he is planning to concentrate on 'establishing the university identity' and 'insuring substantiality for the normalization of the foundation'.

 He said, "I will always keep in mind the university's long-term vision and development strategies, but for the 4 years that I am the university president, I will be one who 'does what is possible' and an 'acting' president who goes to the places of the problems to resolve it." He also added, "I will not shy away from anything to achieve the two goals of first properly establishing the educational spirit of Former President Park Chung Hee, who was the founder of our university, in order to restore the honor and pride of YU members and enroot an identity for the YU, and second, to promptly normalize the in-school system that is still lacking despite the normalization of the foundation, while also expanding and making the finances of the foundation and university more internally stable."

 As part of the plans to establish the university identity, the 'Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul' that was opened last year will be promoted and developed into the top brand of YU. "Though we were unable to really research the leadership of Former President Park Chung-hee, who is the founder of our university, as well as Saemaul because of the political situation in Korea, we will now procure outstanding faculty, curriculum and facilities to conduct full-fledged research and education so that people both in Korea and abroad have the perception that Saemaul equals YU."

 Sub-strategies will be pursued in the 3 sectors of Education, Research and Administration in order to enhance internal stability. The goal is to ▲make a university that studies hard and finds employment easily, ▲make a university with outstanding professors, and to ▲make a university with good administrative services.

 President Noh said with emphasis, "The owners of the university are the students, professors and employees. Their competitiveness is the backbone and yardstick for the university's competitiveness." He added, "We will help students not only gain competence in their majors, but so that they will also have proper character and leadership. For this, we will invest in facilities for students and create a pleasant campus for students to study, rest and exercise in. In order to procure outstanding professors, we will properly evaluate the research achievements of new professors and for existing professors, we will enforce a personnel system that contributes to the university's development in which professors who are good at lecturing give lectures and professors who excel in research can conduct research. For excellent administrative services, we will construct a fair personnel management system to contribute to administrative specialization and efficiency."

 Also, President Noh is determined to do his best for the next four years for ▲expanding and specializing facilities and infrastructures to improve the competitiveness of the medical center and ▲searching for response strategies according to the decrease of the school-going population.

 President Noh stated, "I feel a greater sense of responsibility being appointed as the university president at this juncture of growing further following the normalization of the foundation," and added, "I will work very hard to meet the anticipations of not only the university members, but also the community and alumni. I would like to ask the community to support us so that YU's competitiveness can lead to the competitiveness of our community and society."