Have you ever wondered how much of our university’s slogan, Why not Change the World, has been put into practical use? Why does Handong continue to call our institution “Handong Global University,” when Handong has not proven to be a global leader comparative to other universities in Korea? I would like all Handong students to start questioning our school’s identity.

I adamantly do not believe that this problem concerns only the board or faculty members of Handong. In fact, the students should be at the forefront of this issue.

Why is it the students’ concern? Handong’s financial situation has been deteriorating steadily each year. On top of that, the number of domestic students who are accepted into the school is strictly regulated by the Korean government, meaning that the number of Korean freshmen will only drop over time due to the Aging Society Phenomenon. In a decade, the institution’s population will eventually decrease to a point at which Handong will need to take desperate measures if it does not take precautionary actions now. Therefore, an important question that Handong will have to answer is, “Will the school try to sustain the population (and perhaps even expand the number of students) or will it want to decrease the total number of students relative to the rate at which our school will decrease the number of Korean students?”

While having a smaller population can be beneficial, Handong currently wants to sustain the number of students by expanding the number of a population that the government does not regulate, international students. The main problem with expanding the number of international students is fundamentally rooted with our academic environment. Namely, our international students are limited to very few classes, majors, and professors compared to those who are native to Korea. Furthermore, our school’s clubs and activities don't seem to represent international students outside of Carmichael events, diminishing domestic and international student interactions. It is true that it is difficult to create an environment capable of embracing international students with its current number, which is barely 1.7% of the entire undergrad population. However, if our students desire to help international students enjoy Handong as much as the Korean students, perhaps the students should start paving a way for international students to feel more welcome at Handong.

Now, how does this tie with the question of Handong’s identity and the students’ involvement? Our actions will have direct consequences on the identity of our university. If we choose to stay in our comfort zone, we will not be able to steer Handong towards the direction of truly being global. While it is ultimately God’s decision, we must also start debating if Handong should continue as “simply a Korean university.”

JoonSeok (David) Lee(Global Leadership)