President Soon-Heung Chang, who is leading Handong Global University, a “small but strong university” [Reporter Young-Cheol Cho]
President Soon-Heung Chang: “We will cultivate global, talented individuals with character and problem-solving skills.”
● Over 40% of freshmen from the Seoul Capital Area or overseas
● The lowest level of dropout rate in the country; “A university that students are proud of”
● 26 years of non-proctored examinations since the inception of the university; “An academic tradition that emphasizes honesty and integrity”
● Cultivating talented individuals with character and competence that “study to give others”
● The first American-style law school in Asia; “70% of graduates pass the American Bar Exam”
● “Fostering global experts with creativity and problem-solving skills”
Handong Global University is a private university in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. It was established in 1995 and currently has fewer than 4,000 students. It is located in a regional area, has a short history, and is small in size. From a general perspective, this is a handicap on three counts. However, Handong Global University has been drawing attention from various fields in the past few years by performing beyond these limits.
Among the major indicators of Handong Global University’s status is the proportion of students from the Seoul Capital Area. In 2019, 27.6% of the freshmen (227 students) were from Seoul, Incheon, or the Gyeonggi Province. This exceeded the number of students from Daegu and the North Gyeongsang Province (21.4%, 176 students), areas that are geographically closer to the university. The percentage of students from overseas also reached 15.8% (130 students). In other words, more than 40% of the freshmen students came to Handong Global University from the Seoul Capital Area or abroad.
---
Over 40% of Freshmen from the Seoul Capital Area or Overseas
---
Handong Global University further exceeded beyond the limits of ‘regional districts’ by recording a 100% freshmen recruitment rate in 2019. On the other hand, the dropout rate for enrolled students was only 2.3%. The freshmen recruitment rate and dropout rate demonstrate the students’ preference for the university. In recent years, many universities are struggling with issues of accepted applicants not enrolling or freshmen students dropping out midway. Many university officials say that even if they pick students, they are nowhere to be found on campus. Currently, Handong Global University is relatively free from these concerns.
According to the university information site ‘Higher Education in Korea’(대학알리미), the dropout rate of Seoul National University was 1.3% as of 2019. Yonsei University (1.9%), Korea University (2.1%), and Hanyang University (2.3%) were all around the 2% mark. Handong Global University’s performance was comparable to those of these universities. Because there are schools with dropout rates of more than 20% even among private universities in Seoul, Handong Global University inevitably stands out. This is the reason why people contemplating the future of regional universities are paying attention to Handong Global University.
Handong Global University is not a university that receives the wholehearted support of the government or global companies as does KAIST or POSTECH. What was the secret to being able to establish itself beyond survival as a university with ‘nationwide’ competitiveness, nevertheless? With this question, I met President Soon-Heung Chang (66) of Handong Global University.
President Chang is a world-class scientist who was the first Asian to receive an academic award from the American Nuclear Society (ANS). After graduating from Seoul National University College of Engineering and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graduate School, he became a professor at KAIST in 1982. At KAIST, he served as the Director of Planning and Coordination, the Dean of Academic Affairs, and the Executive Vice President. In 2014, he became the President of Handong Global University and has been leading the university for the past 7 years.
- Recently, there are many conversations about Handong Global University among people who are interested in higher education. In a situation where it is being said that a significant number of regional universities are in a life-or-death crisis, what is the secret behind Handong Global University’s outstanding performance?
“In short, it is ‘the power of love.’ Our university’s professors really love the students. They truly put their hearts into student education. This is a tradition that has been passed down since the inception of the university. The students know it, too. And since they feel that they are being loved at school, they love the school in turn and feel proud that they belong to Handong Global University. I believe that this university atmosphere is behind the low dropout rate of enrolled students.”
---
From Handicap to Asset; “A University that Students are Proud of”
---
A Panoramic View of Handong Global University in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. It is the cradle of global, talented individuals who possess both character and competence. [Reporter Yeong-Cheol Cho]
The secret to university success being “love” may sound like an awkward answer at first. However, by knowing about Handong Global University’s unique education system, one can understand why President Chang says so. As mentioned earlier, Handong Global University is a new, small, private university located in a regional area. Handong Global University has used the three factors that may seem like limitations at first glance—novelty, regionality, and small size—as a foothold for its growth. First, they were able to build dormitory facilities that can accommodate 80% of all enrolled students. Here, they could provide students with character and career education programs. The success of the ‘Residential College (RC · Boarding College)’ system, which extends education beyond the classroom, is one of the key factors that attract both domestic and foreign students to Handong Global University.
Second, Handong Global University has filled its relatively short history with a record of challenges. The university’s policy of selecting all freshmen as undeclared majors is a refreshing take. All first-year students of Handong Global University are assigned to the Global Leadership School to develop the basic skills and general knowledge that all university students should possess. In their second year, students receive an opportunity to choose their majors according to their aptitude and aspirations. Students are not limited to choosing just one major. Rather, they can select double majors in any department they want—from the humanities to STEM—regardless of their previous liberal arts (문과) or natural science (이과) high school curriculum. If a student determines that there is no department in Handong Global University that they want to major in, they have the option to create their own “Student Designed Convergence Studies” major. Also, in 2015, Handong Global University introduced the "Independent Self-Guided Study Semester" system in Korea and began to recognize the students’ experiences outside of university as school credits. It is a program that difficult to operate without paying attention to and respecting each student.
Third, the reason why these experiments were possible was paradoxically because of Handong Global University’s relatively small size. Handong Global University assigns one “homeroom professor” for every 30 students. The professor and students are grouped in a team and regularly meet every week to develop a spirit of community and train leadership. In this process, the professor becomes a true ‘mentor’ who looks after not only the students’ academics but also their daily lives. During the semester, it is easy to observe students and professors sitting around in various locations of the Handong campus and participating in team meetings.
In summary, ‘love’ is the key term that the various educational programs Handong Global University offers are centered around. President Chang stressed that, “Our professors put a lot of thought and effort into how they could provide a better educational environment for their students. The students know it, too. And because they know that they are loved and respected at the university, they are able to have more confidence and live even more diligently. We believe that by developing ourselves at Handong Global University, we will be able to achieve our dreams. This is the true asset of our university.”
---
26 years of non-proctored examinations since the inception of the university
---
Dean Eric G. Enlow of Handong International Law School is giving a lecture on private international law in a law school lecture hall. [Reporter Yeong-Cheol Cho]
- I heard that Handong Global University has taken all exams without supervision since its inception. Isn’t the “non-proctored examinations” possible because there is respect for the students?
“You can see it that way. Handong Global University is a school with its foundation in the Christian spirit. It is a place where people who believe that integrity, faithfulness, and mutual trust are more important than receiving good scores are gathered. Because of this, it was possible to continue the ‘non-proctored examinations’ from the university’s inception until now without major problems. In this process, the students’ ethical standards increase day by day. Not long ago, I heard a story from a professor. After announcing the test results, he received an e-mail from a student, which said, ‘Professor, my score was higher than I expected. I believe you may have scored a wrong answer as correct. I would like to request that you check again.’ This is the level of conscience that our students follow.”
President Chang smiled and said, “Handong Global University has a high employment rate and produces excellent results in various contests and competitions. But rather than these results, I have pride in the fact that all members share the values of integrity, conscience, and faithfulness.”
He introduced another system that was considered a pride of Handong Global University. It was the “Handong Manna Project,” which helps financially difficult students use the student cafeteria without any need to worry.
The menu prices for Handong Global University’s student cafeteria average around 3,000 Korean won. Although there is no significant price difference from other universities, according to a 2016 student survey, there were quite a few respondents who worried about skipping meals because of financial difficulties. Handong Global University reorganized the student cafeteria system for these students. When paying for meals with their student cards, students were given the choice between paying 100 won and 3,000 won with no one else knowing how much each student paid for the food. This program has been in operation for the fifth year this year. What does this have to do with integrity or conscience? When asked this question, President Chang opened his mouth with a smile on his face.
“When we began the ‘Handong Manna Project’ in 2016, there was something I was slightly worried about. ‘What if ‘students who are not experiencing financial difficulties also just pay 100 won for their meals?’ At the time, it was estimated that there were not many students in our university who were in such financial difficulties that they needed to worry about the cost of food. It was less than 10% of all students. I believed that we would be able to afford food for this number of students, and in my mind, I hoped that the usage would not exceed this range too much.”
- And what happened with the project in reality?
“I look at the data occasionally, and less than 10% of all student cafeteria users choose the 100 won payment option. Only those who really need it receive help from the ‘Handong Manna Project’ and other students choose to eat at a reasonable price. Because of the honest hearts of the students, we were able to continue the ‘Handong Manna Project’ and our university became one without any hungry people. For this, I am extremely grateful.”
President Chang gave a wide smile once again.
---
Cultivating talented individuals with character and competence that ‘study to give others’
---
Students are studying at the Handong International Law School Library, which contains Anglo-American law textbooks and U. S. Federal Casebooks [Provided by Handong Global University]
When interviewing presidents of universities, they generally talk about the school’s quantitative achievements. President Chang was slightly different. As can be seen from his answer of ‘love’ to the first question, his focus and interest were in ‘quality’ from beginning to end. He wanted to promote Handong’s unique educational philosophy and special university atmosphere. He said, “From its inception, our university aimed to cultivate talented individuals who ‘learn to give others.’ It is not my hope that our graduates live materially wealthy lives by earning a lot of my money and succeeding in their careers. Rather, we hope that they would be able to use the knowledge they have learned in university to help their neighbors and solve their difficulties.”
According to President Chang, the type of global, talented individuals that Handong Global University aims to foster can be represented by the Chinese character ‘工.’ The base stroke of the character ‘工’ represents the ‘character and faith education’ that forms the foundation of education, the vertical pillar symbolizes the ‘intellectual education’ for the search of academic knowledge, and the roofline means ‘internationalization education.’
- In other words, your objective is to cultivate global, talented individuals who have both character and expertise?
“Yes. Even if one has exceptional expertise, they are still socially useless if they are unwilling to help others. On the other hand, it is also very difficult for those who have a great desire to help others but no competence to contribute to societal progress. What we wish from our students is that they gain both the willingness and ability to help their neighbors.”
- The word ‘global’ is also included in Handong Global University’s ideal of a talented individual. Why is this factor important?
“It is because we are living in a world today where borders between countries have disappeared. This was confirmed even by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it is an era of the global village and we must develop the appropriate mindset and skills accordingly. This is why the name Handong Global University has the word ‘Global’ in the middle. We aim to cultivate talented individuals who are active not only in Pohang and the North Gyeongsang Province where our university is located but also beyond Korean borders on the global stage.”
This is also why Handong Global University pays special attention to English and Computer Science education. Since the inception of the university in 1995, Handong Global University has made it mandatory for all students to receive practical English and computer science education. All students are required to complete coursework at the level of a minor in computer science and obtain above a certain score in a certified English exam to graduate. President Chang boasted, “KAIST, where I worked in the past, is also a university famous for good English education, and Handong students are not behind KAIST students in any way when comparing the level of English proficiency. I believe it is because of the students’ diligent studies and their active interaction with foreign professors and international students. Overall, their English skills are very good.”
Handong Global University has also been leading in software-related education in recent years. In 2017, it was selected for the “Software Oriented University Support Project” by the government and received 10 billion won in support over four years. Based on this, it achieved innovation by incorporating the latest trends in information technology (IT) into education. By cooperating with companies specializing in autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence, it has laid the foundation for students to participate in joint research, field practicum, and internship programs. Since then, interest and participation in software startups have increased in the school, and Handong students have been receiving many awards in various startup support competitions.
---
The first American-style law school in Asia; “70% of graduates pass the American Bar Exam”
---
Handong International Law School, established in 2002 as the first American-style law school in Asia, is also a pride of Handong Global University. President Chang explained, “through classes taught in 100% English by professors with U.S. bar qualifications, students are developing into ‘professionals with both character and competence.’” So far, there have been 458 students who have become American lawyers after studying at Handong International Law School, and the pass rate for the Bar Exam is approximately 70%. These individuals are actively working in domestic and overseas law firms and companies and are contributing to the development of society as ‘global legal professionals who are well-aware of Korean issues’ according to President Chang.
Handong Global University’s achievements can also be confirmed through various evaluations. Handong Global University has been selected for the Advancement of College Education (ACE) Development Project (implemented in 2010-2019) by the Department of Education every year. It obtained the highest category (A) in the University Reorganization Evaluation in 2015 and acquired the highest grade (A) from the University Innovation Support Project this year as well. In September, it was selected for the 34th Inchon Award in recognition of its contribution to the innovation of domestic higher education.
President Chang said, “Handong Global University was awarded the Inchon Award in a situation where regional universities are experiencing increasing difficulties due to the decrease in university-age population and the weakening competitiveness of non-capital area regions. We will consider it as great encouragement and support and further endeavor in our work. A good regional university can be the backbone of the local economy. Handong Global University will continue to solidify its position as ‘a university that teaches well’ and endeavor to become a space that cultivates global, talented individuals who can change the world, who know and can solve the problems of their neighbors, and who actively participate in the world stage.”
