Interview With PNU President: What Path PNU Will Take for Next Four Years

Choi Jae-Weon (Prof. of Mechanical Engineering) started his term as the 22nd President of Pusan National University (PNU) on May 17th. PNU President Choi was elected as the 1st presidential candidate in the PNU presidential election in February. After being appointed as a professor at PNU in 1996, he served as Dean of Strategic Planning and Dean of the College of Engineering.

On May 31st, “Channel PNU” met President Choi at the office of the PNU President on the starting line of his four-year term. He emphasized that he would make a differentiated field that only PNU can have and introduced the future of PNU for the next four years.

Q. How do you feel about your inauguration?

A. As the leading national flagship university that has pioneered Korean higher education, I feel a heavy responsibility to take the lead in addressing the issues that the region and PNU are facing. In the process, I aim to leverage the unique qualities of PNU that set it apart from others to create a “difference that makes PNU number one.” My candidacy for the president was driven by a desire to make the difference and to elevate the prestige of PNU. Amidst the widespread talk of a crisis among regional universities, I will ensure that PNU will go on its own unique brilliant path.

Q. What value do you consider most important during your term?

A. In short, it can be summed up to the slogan I have set as president: “Arise PNU, Together Higher.” This reflects my hope for PNU and its students to further develop and grow, with all members cooperating and participating to achieve higher values.

To elaborate, I aim to pursue excellence, representation, and diversity. We need to think about what makes PNU excellent, and what we can represent to establish a model of a national flagship university. I also want to create an academic environment of “diversity” in Korea. With these values as a foundation, I hope PNU will pioneer a new path on a joyful and dynamic journey.

Q. What is the most crucial element among your pledges in eight major fields?

A. To make PNU outstanding in the era of great transformation, I have proposed a model for national flagship universities across eight major areas. Among these, I consider education and research to be the most critical. First and foremost, I aim to cultivate students’ pride and cultivate sound values through whole-person education, helping them find their own way and make a positive impact on others.

Supporting the discovery of 10 key research fields is another core pledge to achieve three values of excellence, representation, and diversity, which I had suggested. We aim to strengthen the advantages of the region of Busan and lead in interdisciplinary fields in research areas where PNU can take the top spot such as climate, fintech, and automotive semiconductors (power semiconductors). Additionally, I consider the development of campus infrastructure and the establishment of a university operating system in digital platforms as my key pledges.

Q. What direction will the organizational restructuring take in July?

A. The most important factors in structuring an organization are flexibility and efficiency. As the methods of future education and research continue to evolve, the organization must be able to respond flexibly to these changes. Therefore, I am preparing innovative restructuring to operate an organization that can utilize resources efficiently, moving away from standardized organizational structures.

Firstly, we will reorganize the university headquarters to fit policy implementation units and eliminate barriers between departments to allow for organic work connections. In addition, to foresee changes in education and research and to run a performance-based organization, I plan to establish a “Division of Future Policy” within the Office of the President. Another key measure is to reduce financial inefficiencies by expanding and restructuring the Finance Strategic Division within the Office of Strategic Planning and expanding the Division of Campus Planning to the scale of an office. To develop interdisciplinary education with increasing demand, we also plan to create a Convergence Education Center under the Office of Educational Affairs.

Q. Right after your appointment, you made a decision on an issue that had conflicting opinions within and outside the university. 

A. The first major issue I addressed after my inauguration was amending the academic regulations related to the national issue of increasing medical school quotas. While I sympathize with the concerns and worries of the medical students about the current disruptions in academic operations, it was necessary to address this issue in response to the demand of the time for improvements in public and regional healthcare.

PNU will take swift and proactive measures to support the increased number of students by setting up institutional arrangements, securing additional space, and expanding equipment. PNU is also strongly advocating with the government to ensure that quality educational opportunities are guaranteed. Although it is challenging to alleviate all the concerns of students and faculty members, I promise to make every administrative effort and to communicate effectively to ensure that students do not face any inconvenience or disadvantages related to their academic operations.

Q. As the new president of PNU, what do you see as main challenges that PNU currently faces?

A. In an era of increasing concentration in the metropolitan area and a sharp decline in the school-age population, we must fulfill our role and responsibilities as a national flagship university by pioneering advanced academic fields and contributing to national balanced development. To achieve this, key challenges remain such as establishing an EduTech-based faculty training system, which is central to the glocal university initiative, and expanding the significantly reduced liberal major system as part of educational innovation. Additionally, as previously mentioned, identifying and developing 10 differentiated fields for PNU must be a prerequisite for becoming a model of national flagship university.

Q. What are your macro plans for the next four years?

A. We are in a turbulent era of change across culture, technology, and mindset. While opening up the future of PNU in this period of great transformation, my duty is to pave a unique path for PNU while ensuring that no field is neglected. From my experience, to implement policies effectively within four years, a solid foundation must be established within the first two years. This means addressing institutional improvements and infrastructure development within the first two-year period. In the subsequent two years, the focus will be on maintaining and solidifying this foundation to ensure its stability.

Q. How do you plan to communicate with students and university members from now on?

A. In short, I believe frequent engagement is the best. I plan to practice communication by reaching out to specific units that need it, more detailed than visiting the individual colleges, and holding regular communication forums. This will make the president’s office open with a low threshold for access. Meeting with PNU members to both explain upcoming policies and gather their opinions will be beneficial. Additionally, I aim to establish a support system to ensure there are no blind spots in student care and expand digital communication channels so students can express a diverse range of opinions.

Q. Lastly, could you say some words to PNU members?

A. The university is the cornerstone of regional development. Since people in the region gather at the university, it naturally becomes the starting point for regional innovation. Therefore, the advancement of the university drives regional development, which in turn forms the foundation for national progress. Creating a differentiated model for PNU and ensuring students undertake this work with a healthy body and mind is the starting point for everything.

We have all gathered here sharing the importance of education for the distant future, recognizing the power and importance of education. I hope we can collectively nurture a healthy mindset and discover and enhance our unique talents, thereby leading lives that positively impact those around us. Let’s support and encourage one another to harness the power of learning to shape and complete our lives, growing together as a unified Hyowon family.

Reporter Channel PNU

Translated by Lee Soo-Hyun