Celebrating Yonsei’s 131st Anniversary

 

Vision for the Next Century

 

 

 

Yonsei recently celebrated the 131st anniversary of its founding, while laying out its vision for the next 100 years. On May 14, a commemoration ceremony was held in Centennial Hall, which was attended by students, faculty, and alumni members.

 

During his speech at the ceremony, Yonsei President Yong-Hak Kim revealed plans to change the direction of education, research, and community engagement at Yonsei. All of these changes aim to foster global leaders for the coming century. Central to President Kim’s vision are the “3Cs”: Christianity, Creativity, and Connectivity.

 

 

 

New Award to Encourage Entrepreneurship

 

 

To promote entrepreneurial spirit at Yonsei, the university has established the “Yonsei Start-Up Award,” which recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who have created successful start-ups. In particular, the award committee emphasizes creativity and the spirit of servant leadership.

 

In his remarks on the award, President Kim said: “I hope that by looking at their fellow schoolmates receiving these awards, students will start to think that successful entrepreneurship can be achieved by anyone who is willing to take up the challenge.” He added: “Yonsei will nurture creative thinking in students and support them so that their inventive ideas are materialized in the form of start-ups and innovation. I hope that the culture of entrepreneurship will take root in the university.”

 

In addition to the Start-Up Award, Yonsei is actively providing entrepreneurial support through the Yonsei Enterprise Support Foundation. The foundation gives systematic support to students through training and consulting on start-ups and management, while offering work spaces and equipment. It also organizes a number of activities on campus related to entrepreneurship; its ultimate goal is to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture among students.

 

 

Reflecting on “Yonsei Spirit”

 

 

Founded on the Christian values of truth and freedom, Yonsei strives to be faithful to the vision of its founders by looking to the future and promoting a communal spirit. As part of efforts to affirm this spirit, the large boulder with the Yonsei motto engraved in it was removed from Luce Chapel and placed near Engineering Hall so that people can more easily view it and its message: “The truth will make you free.”

 

 

Additionally, the main roads on the Sinchon Campus were renamed to reflect 131 years of Yonsei history and tradition. The names were chosen through a contest that included the participation of Yonsei students, staff, faculty, and alumni; in the end, eleven different road names were selected. Some of the new names are “Dongju-gil”, “Cheongsong-gil”, “Muaksup-gil”, “Allen-gil”,“Jejungwon-gil”, and “Avison-gil”.

 

 

Poet Dong-ju Yun Honored as Exemplary Figure of Yonsei Spirit

 

 

Yonsei has also begun honoring exemplary individuals who epitomize the Yonsei spirit. Seeking men and women who embody the values of truth and freedom, the honor is bestowed upon those who have enhanced Yonsei’s name through leadership and service to the society. 

 

The first figure to be honored is poet Dong-ju Yun (1917-1945). Writing in the midst of Japanese colonization, Yun expressed the essence of the Korean spirit in a composed and elegant manner. Although he died in his twenties, incarcerated in a Japanese prison, the beauty and dignity of his poems remains an integral part of Yonsei’s spirit.

 

Previously, a special monument dedicated to Yun’s life and work was erected on the Sinchon Campus; there is also an annual poetry competition that bears his name. To celebrate what would be his 100th birthday in 2017, the university will open a memorial hall for Yun in Pinson Hall, while renaming the road in front of it Dongju-gil.