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Who is the Owner of the School?
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  • 등록 2019-09-03 15:52:23
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 Recently, there was a big issue in some majors, and the issue was about restructuring. It was also a big issue that the school intended to introduce restructuring without discussing the matter with students. The students whose majors were to be restructured opposed the plan vehemently. In particular, some majors showed their opposition to the school plan because those majors were to be shut down or merged. They sent the signatures of students who opposed the restructuring, and the results of a survey and a general meeting about the restructuring to the school, but the school didn’t give a positive answer. In the midst of this controversy, the Pharos listened to Kyonggi University students’ thoughts about the restructuring and interviewed the students involved with the relevant majors and colleges.

 

 

According to the first draft of the restructuring plan sent by the school, the number of admissions is on a steep decline as the school population decreases, and if the current quota is maintained, 22,000 fewer students will be admitted in 2020. In addition, they expressed the opinion that restructuring and a reduction in the number of new students are inevitable due to a lack of enrollment resources, as up to 90,000 fewer students will be admitted in the 2023 academic year. The first of the five basic principles of restructuring is structural reform linked to the university’s mid- and long-term development and specialization plans. Under this principle, the school is planning restructuring that reflects core future keywords, and phrases such as the fourth industrial revolution, and restructuring that reflects the character of Kyonggi University. The second is the restructuring of departments (majors) in preparation for the reduction of the school age population. Accordingly, it is stipulated that the competitiveness and similarity of the existing 62 majors and departments will be reviewed and that the majors will be integrated and newly established based on the results of the review. The third principle is innovative restructuring based on academic convergence. Under this principle, the school will promote the lateral/substantial convergence of majors in conjunction with the university innovation support projects. The fourth principle is restructuring that reflects consistent academic evaluations. This is a principle that is based on the Education Ministry’s three-cycle reduction target of 70,000 to 90,000 students and which prepares for a decline in the number of people with an educational background after 2023. The last principle is restructuring that is based on the principle of co-prosperity for all members.

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at the outline of the plan for the university’s restructuring based on its strategy for developing the university. The school said in its plan that six colleges will be reorganized into eight colleges. Under the framework, the Human Resources University will be divided into the Arts and Sports College and the Humanities College, and the Knowledge and Information Service Colleges will be divided into the Software Management College and the Social Science College. Also, the undergraduate system will be organized according to the division and characterization of studies offered by the colleges. In addition to the reorganization of colleges the reorganization of majors (departments) and their expected effects were specified. Under the restructuring, the current 49 admission recruiting units will be reorganized into 30 population units, and the allocation of undergraduate majors will be recognized as a minimum of 70 percent to 130 percent of the quota. This plan takes into account flexibility of major selection and suitability of major operation. As a result of this, the school expects to secure between 20 and 25 billion won in budget funds. As the restructuring includes many major changes, the voices of discontent among students have been loud. To understand this issue better, the Pharos interviewed a school faculty member and a student who was involved with the restructuring.

 

 

 

< Interview of a School Faculty Member >

 

 

Q. Please introduce yourself.

 

A. In 1995, I was appointed to the Department of Electronic Calculation, which is the predecessor of the Department of Computer Engineering, and I teach computer graphics and multimedia processing technology. In the field of research, I train graduate students and researchers as a responsible professor in the Computer Graphics Laboratory. As a school volunteer, I have served as the head of the Computer Information Service, the chair of the Nature College, and the dean of the Graduate School of Convergence and Culture, and I have been in charge of the planning department since February 2019.

 

 

 

Q. What do you think of the current restructuring plan? Is there any possibility of it being implemented as it is?

 

A. The structural reform draft is understood to be a controversial document. The proposed draft is not a final draft, and we plan to come up with an optimal plan for our school through sufficient dialogue and coordination with university members. Therefore, we are going to carry out several courses of consultation with the members until the final draft is established in the second semester of this year.

 

 

Q. What is the reason for restructuring?

 

A. First of all, I would like to use the term structural reform instead of restructuring. The implementation of the structural reform is inevitable in response to the need for self-sustaining and innovative changes in universities in the face of a crisis at universities due to a sharp decline in the number of school-age people, as well as to prepare for the third annual college assessment to be implemented in 2021. In accordance with Kyonggi University’s development plan, we will also implement structural reform as a way to improve our physical constitution and enhance our competitiveness by reflecting the needs of the times. In particular, the main goals are to expand the specialization of the university, increase student flexibility in selecting majors, and enhance the competitiveness of departments, and I believe that structural reform is important for this.

 

 

Q. Please tell us about how you plan to deal with the students’ resistance to restructuring.

 

A. The success or failure of the structural reform depends on gaining the empathy of the members. Especially, if

you look at the background of this structural reform, the process is and will continue to be based on a spirit of coexistence among the various stakeholders. Therefore, we will continue to discuss multi-faceted issues such as not only the particulars of structural reform, but also its effects and the impact on the future playing field with university members, and work hard to win everyone’s sympathy by considering alternatives.

 

 

As can be seen in the above interview, the school’s position is that it wants to implement restructuring that both the colleges and students can support. It also revealed that the currently disclosed restructuring draft is not final and that the current problems with students will be resolved through sufficient dialogue in the second semester. However, opinions between the two may differ as the university is currently at odds with the students and colleges. In the above, the Pharos heard the school’s opinion, now let’s listen to the opinions of some students in the Department of Restructuring.

 

 

< Interview of Students, Min Kyung-hoon, President of the Art Management Student Council >

 

Q. As the restructuring plan is being determined, what is the most worrying point?

 

A. The most worrisome thing is that art management students will suffer. Let me tell my story. I entered the Department of Art in 2015, and when I returned to school in 2018 years after being in the military, I found that my department had been renamed the Department of Western Painting and Art Management. Also, I was informed that I couldn’t graduate from the arts department. After this last restructuring, the number of subjects I can take has decreased, and my right to attend classes has also been violated. In addition, now that I’m graduating, the school is planning to remove my major. It’s the third time that I’ve undergone restructuring in four years, excluding my time in the military. The school has not guaranteed students the right to graduate or to study properly while implementing restructuring. The damage to individual students has been great, and if graduates are not natured by their departments, the talent pool will dry up and the competitiveness of the art management department of Kyonggi University will be reduced in the field.

 

 

Q. Do you think restructuring is necessary? If so, what is the reason?

 

A. Currently, the number of people with a strong educational background continues to decline and tuition income is also decreasing, making the school’s financial status worse. I think restructuring is inevitable in this situation. Then the

question will be how to overcome the current situation. However, the behavior of schools shows that they are carrying out cruel restructuring activities such as downsizing and consolidation to prepare for college evaluations. I think we should implement a future-oriented restructuring to achieve co-prosperity and competitiveness in schools. Also, the art management department is not just against restructuring. I’ve prepared an alternative to the current plan, and I’ve given it to the planning director. However, even if the direction does not go according to the students’ wishes, we will continue our conversation with the school until the end.

 

Q. Please tell me if there is anything you want to say to your school about the school’s failure to take into account the students’ opinions during the restructuring process.

 

A. It is said that the owners of the school are the students. This means that the position of students is very important in schools. However, the students’ opinions were not reflected properly in the first period of the university evaluation, and the students were only notified of the restructuring through the student council of the art college, not the school. Also, the art management department only through its own effort created its own improvement plan and delivered it to the school. I hope that the restructuring plan will be improved in order to cause the least inconvenience through constant consultation with all school members.

 

 

Q. Do you have any opinions on the direction of the school restructuring?

 

A. As I said earlier, most universities are undergoing restructuring and our schools is no exception. At times like this, schools should strengthen their competitiveness with future-oriented restructuring. I hope that we will realize the essence of the university and carry out restructuring accordingly, instead of focusing only on the fourth industrial revolution, convergence, innovation, the employment rate and the competition rate. Also, there should be students at the center. At times like this, students should put their heads together and come up with good ideas. We want to fully reflect the students’ opinions, and as the members coexist, we want to restructure the school so that it can develop cooperatively.

 

 

Contrary to the principle of the co-prosperity of school members, students in the departments have been inconvenienced by the unilateral notification of the school regarding restructuring. However, since nothing has been finalized yet and the students said they will carry out restructuring based on co-prosperity in the second semester, the Pharos hopes restructuring will be implemented in a different way in the second semester.

 

 

The school will probably continue to restructure after this reshuffle. If this happens, how should students cope with this? The Pharos conducted a survey on how students felt about school restructuring to answer this question.

 



 

 

Most of the students had negative opinions about the school restructuring process. There were the positive opinions that a reshuffle was inevitable and should happen. The reasons why students thought negatively was because some departments disappeared and the benefits departments received were reduced. There were also negative the opinions that the restructuring negatively effected students and the school gave unilateral notice of restructuring without soliciting students’ opinions. Students were also unhappy about the way and direction of the restructuring. Some students suspected that the school deliberately talked about restructuring during the busy exam period. In addition, as a way to deal with the school’s unilateral restructuring, the survey respondents suggested “continued conversation with the school” and “students’ interest” as the most effective approaches at 78.3 percent. Next came “the student council’s efforts” with 60.9 percent and “other” with 8.7 percent. In the “other” category, one suggestion was a demonstration at the school. Students said that changes are needed to adapt to the changes of the times, but that it is wrong for them to be made only by a part of the school. Students said we have the right to a better education and asked the school to notify students of the changes before the structure of the school is reorganized.

 

 

The school has continuously notified students of restructuring without collecting students’ opinions. This is the part of the communication between students and the school that is needed. Schools operate through interaction among students, professors, and school management. Students must recognize that this is a serious problem and must speak out to the school endlessly.

 

 

How are other schools managing their restructuring? In addition, do they reflect the students’ opinions when carrying out restructuring? We decided to look at the examples of Chosun University and Sungshin University among the many schools being restructured. Students at Chosun University and Sungshin University clashed with their schools while having their departments restructured.

 

 

First, let’s take a look at the case of Sungshin University. On February 27, 2016, a school reorganization plan made on the basis of the PRIME project was disclosed by an anonymous tip-off. In 2015, the education ministry unveiled plans for the PRIME (Progam for Industrial Need-Matched Education) project. This was a project with a huge budget supported by the Ministry of Education to provide financial support to universities that linked industrial demand to education. The PRIME project would encourage academic reform by increasing the number of majors that society needs. Sungshin University also participated in job-oriented department restructuring under this influence. According to the reorganization plan, the number of students at the College of Social Sciences, the Humanities College and the College of Education, and students majoring in the arts and physical education would be reduced. The reorganization plan was to be applied in 2017. Under the reorganization plan, the Humanities College and the College of Education would be merged, and the Social College and the Legal College would be merged. The school would create the new Beauty College and several colleges would be combined to form the Engineering College and the Human Wellness College. In addition, in the case of the Humanities College, some departments would be merged into the Department of Asian Languages and Culture and the Department of European Languages and Culture. The revision of the departments was not a cosmetic one, but a basic one. Also, measures to reform the criminal justice system had been discussed. Previously, criminal records were only available for 20 percent of the admission quota based on the general department applied for, but the reform removed that restriction. Many students protested this reorganization plan. The students held their own pickets and marched in silence against the unilateral restructuring. They marched in masks, carrying signs saying, “The owners of Sungshin University are the students.” The students claimed that it was unfair for the school to proceed with restructuring without informing the students of any important issues.

 

 

In order not to be recognized as a bad university in 2018, Chosun University was planning to restructure its departments and reduce the salaries of its faculty members. As the school was ineligible for support from the Ministry of Education, it was carrying out intensive restructuring. Chosun University came up with the “Three Principles of Management Innovation” to reduce the school’s budget by 15.5 billion won through the restructuring of its finances and organizations. The “Three Principles of Management Innovation” were consolidation of departments, reduction of administrative organizations and reduction of labor costs. The reason why Chosun University attempted to reorganize its structure was because it was eliminated in the first phase of the government's evaluation, which decided which universities would have to reduce their student quotas and receive limited budget support. In 2018, the school was classified as a second-stage screening subject after being eliminated from the first-stage of the autonomous improvement college process due to the education ministry's evaluation of basic college competency. The secondtier universities would be divided into empowerment universities or financial support-restricted universities as a result of their assessment. If the school was classified as a financial support-restricted university type II, which was at the bottom of the list, financial support would be limited along with a reduction in the number of students that could be admitted. Therefore, Chosun University had to restructure drastically. In 2019, Chosun University was classified as an empowerment university in the evaluation of basic competency for universities, making it necessary for the university to reduce the number of students it enrolled. As an alternative, Chosun University tried to reduce 85 departments to 15, and to secure competitiveness at the university by reorganizing its structure. However, members of the professors’ association said, “The integration of departments is used as a way to improve the university whenever it is evaluated.” They opposed the idea, saying that there would be many side effects resulting from the disappearance of departments. Students were also nervous about whether their departments would be abolished and worried that the school restructuring would have a big impact on their schedules. In response, a school official said, “In line with the industrial revolution and the declining population, the university reform is inevitable in order to create a new convergence sector and secure the university’s competitiveness.”

 

 

The owners of the school are the students. However, Kyonggi University ignores this and continues to refuse to accept students' opinions and does not even listen to students' opinions. Restructuring may be necessary for the better operation of the school, but it should also reflect the positions of students and professors. Students came to the university because they wanted to learn, and restructuring should not infringe on students' right to take classes or block students from going forward. Instead of throwing up their hands, in defeat students should think about how to respond to the school as owners of this institution. Furthermore, students will have to pay attention to the administration and news of the school and make their voices heard.

 

 

71st ReporterKIM JINcoo0714@naver.com

Planning EditorLEE GAEUNantonia0504@naver.com

 

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