Ewha’s 16th presidential election period is coming to a close, leaving only the voting process on May 22, 24, and 25. After introducing the candidates in the previous edition, Ewha Voice asked the candidates a few questions regarding students, especially those regarding international students. For more information on the running candidates, please visit to the official election website (http://my.ewha.ac.kr/election16/).

As a presidential candidate, what is your vision for Ewha? Please elaborate your key policies to accomplish Ewha’s vision.

1. Kim Hei-sook

My direction and vision for Ewha is the establishment of a women’s university that creates a new world by leading free and creative knowledge production based on Christian spirit (love). Universities cannot exist without creative research based on free spirit and activities, and students should be nurtured to be creative by thinking and researching while learning. I plan to drastically push forward globalization to expand global communication and increase regional understanding based on intercultural respect of diversity. For this, internal institutional foundations will be necessary.

To accomplish the vision above, I will developm governance structure, create an efficient and rationalizated administration, and promoting globalization as indirect research foundation.

I will also construct and reinforce of direct research foundation by 1. obligation modification 2. improvement in sabbatical 3. professor assignment reductions 4. establishment of headquarters for national projects 5. construction of systems optimized for diversity in various researches. 

2. Kang Hye-ryun

Ewha's 130 years of women education, which started like a miracle in the dawning of modernization, was a symbol of “novelty” and “possibility.” However, the situation we have faced heavily disappointed those who loved and supported Ewha and impaired Ewha’s pride. To overcome the “communal depression” we went through to protect our school, we need warmth and comfort to heal such wounds.

What is most urgent is to recover Ewha’s trusted community. Our way is to proceed is to build a “cooperative community” where members “willingly want to unite.”

To do this, our university must adopt three directions. First, it must be free of a centralized decision making system and become a mature university that emphasizes liberty and responsibility. Second, for the university’s core mission it must not calculate financial gains and losses. Third, the university should change into a place where staff and students are respected, and do not suffer from competition. 

3. Lee Kong-joo

“Next Ewha” that I dream of achieving is a university with a democratic management system, education for women to become pioneers in leading social change, and research capacity that leads the future of Korea and the world. Moreover, it is a university with efficient administrative system and a strong financial standing to support potential growth. With students, professors, faculty, and alumni all taking up their responsibilities to achieve this goal, I am certain that a new Ewha can be established.

I wish for Ewha to become a university where students become world leaders, and textbooks written by Ewha’s professors become one of the most widely used textbooks in the world. I also wish for Ewha’s most popular lectures given on YouTube, and for appropriate education for fourth industrial revolution to be provided. In addition, I hope the research capacity that Ewha has leads to discussion and resolvement of current world issues. I hope the campus becomes a place that generates pride and happiness to all members of the school.

4. Kim Gyeung-min

Ewha needs to recover its pride and move forward. To achieve this, I will improve brand management through internal reflection, and financial management for external growth as part of achieving “Now again Ewha” vision. Five strategies to improve brand management are: 1. Delegate authority to other parts of the school. 2. Strengthen communication and public relations. 3. Expansion of infrastructure and university system to strengthen education, research and administration. 4. Student welfare and safety 5. Programs for internalizing sense of ethics of members of university, leading to a recreation of Ewha’s public image. Five strategies for finance management are: 1. Becoming a leader of fourth industrial revolution through Magok hospital project 2. Constructing “Ewha healthcare technology cluster” in conjunction with colleges such as College of Natural Sciences, College of Engineering, and other graduate schools. 3. Securing investment and space for education and research 4. Diversifying profit system through improving business. 5. Adopting an advanced fund operation and fund-raising system for Ewha’s external growth.

5. Kim Sung-jin

I believe that Ewha’s vision for the future should be “university where intellect breathes.” In order to accomplish this, first, I will establish a strategy to nurture future talents equipped with creative thinking and empathy fit for the fourth industrial revolution by combining professors’ passion for education. I will try my best to make sure each and every student can develop into an important professional.

Second, I will equip Ewha with long term strategies and competence that will allow continuous creation of value and development, despite the frequently changing political economic environment. External university evaluations that focus only on short term outcomes and can hinder long term development will be dealt with long term visions and strategies.

6. Choi Won-ja

Ewha opened the door to women, the weak and unprivileged, and brought about a groundbreaking turning point and planted a mission for all women in Korea. With the spirit that was regained by the students, I wish to convey the vision to achieve Ewha’s future mission through social contribution.

First, I will make an advanced administration through a governance task force. Second, I will write an Ewha White Paper to record the significance of Ewha’s incident last year. Third, I will establish a education policy research institute as an education reform and introduce a smallsized debate class. Fourth, I will create a [Research Renaissance] for the construction of a medium and long-term research base. Fifth, I will vest positions according to capacity through innovative personnel and recruitment. Sixth, I will expand social consideration selection and elevate community service based on a Christian foundation. Seventh, I will realize Ewha’s mission through social contribution.

7. Kim Eun-mee

After the establishment of Ewha 131 years ago, it has become a pioneer on women’s education and now a university renowned around the world. When I become the president I will transform Ewha to a university which obeys rules, leads changes and welcomes people.

For better communication between members of the school, I will put students as my priority. Also, I will adopt a democratic decision making process where all members of the school can make their voices heard. For education and research, I will increase the scholarship for the next generation’s research, and strengthen self-designed and convergence education.

Absolute evaluation system will be adopted to free students from competition and achieve an environment where students study in collaboration. For financial and administrative system, I will move the authority which is focused on the headquarters to each colleges and institution for decentralization of power. Lastly, I will create a convergence research cluster, combining technology between Sinchon, Mokdong and Magok. 

8. Lee Hyang-sook

I believe Ewha needs to become a “happy community created by everyone” and have a development plan for five drastic changes. The first factor for happiness is professors’ creative research in the best environment and realization education and service, students’ acquirement of lifetime occupational ability through creative education for their aptitude and goals, workers’ realization of autonomous administration based on professionalism, which will fulfill every member’s contribution. The second factor is creation and maintenance of positive relationships between professors, workers, students, alumnae, and the society’s trust and cooperation based on their communication and participation. Third, I plan to achieve the “happy community” by sufficiently securing salary, working environment, health, medical and cultural infrastructure.

Development plan for five drastic changes: 1. Changing from centralized to autonomic decentralized system. 2. Changing from austere financial base to active profiting financial base 3. Changing focus on quantitative results to respecting the culture of various qualitative work. 4. Changing from sacrificial passive administration to progressive autonomous administration. 5. Change through recovery of Ewha community spirit and democratic participation in communication and decision making.

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