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The Reform of University Education in the 21st Century

The Korea Foundation invited Dr. John Hood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, to be the guest speaker at the Fourth KF Forum. In his presentation, entitled “The Reform of University Education in the 21st Century,” Dr. John Hood emphasized the need for universities to adapt themselves to the rapidly changing international situation and to fulfill their social responsibility as academic institutions.

The Fourth Korea Foundation Forum, held at Shilla Hotel (April 11), was attended by 70 leading figures, from at home and abroad, including university presidents, professors, and education specialists. Dr. John Hood began by describing the current status of the Korean Studies program at the University of Oxford. He noted that the Foundation had extended support to the Korean Studies activities at Oxford from the time that the university started to offer Korean Studies courses in 1994, along with providing assistance for the establishment of an endowed lectureship of Korean Language and Linguistics in 2007. While noting that the Foundation has helped the university to lay the ground work for the development of Korean Studies at Oxford, he expressed his sincere appreciation for the Foundation’s financial support in recent years.



Challenges of Today’s Universities
In accordance with his theme, Dr. Hood sought to address the broadening role of the university, its key challenges in today’s world, and the efforts needed to satisfy the demands of the changing times. First, Dr. Hood pointed out that today’s rapid changes, such as the acceleration of globalization, and the emergence of new knowledge and technology, require changes in various sectors, such as a broadening of the research agenda, interdisciplinary research, and curriculum, and reorganization of the traditional university structure. He also emphasized the social responsibility of universities, related to which they must contribute more to the regional and national economy, and the education of our leaders of tomorrow by upgrading the intellectual agenda, research activities, and scholarship programs.
Along with an expansion of the university’s roles, Dr. Hood noted that universities face major challenges as well. One example is the intensifying global competition, which he believes is a positive phenomenon that offers new opportunities. The number of international students has dramatically increased worldwide. In particular, Korea is the world’s third-largest source of international students, while the United Kingdom is the second-most popular destination for international students. Dr. Hood emphasized that this kind of globalization trend might result in a variety of positive outcomes, including the provision of new opportunities for students and academic staff, and improvement of the overall quality of the university education and personal experience.
Another challenge is securing adequate funding to retain scholars and educate outstanding students. The governments, charitable organizations, and individual donors that provide contributions maintain high expectations. They expect universities to achieve specific goals as a result of their donations, and to demonstrate rational management of their financial and academic resources. As such, the university administration must assure the transparency and accountability of its operations. Finally, Dr. Hood noted that institutional autonomy and academic freedom are being ser iously challenged these days due to the growing intervention of governmental politics and donor requirements. He thus emphasized the need for universities to staunchly defend their fundamental values, in spite of such external challenges.



Demands of the Times
To adapt to the demands of the times, the university needs to pursue such efforts as cooperative relations with other universities, as well as research institutions and domestic businesses, based on a broadened horizon. The University of Oxford now maintains multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research centers. In particular, Oxford is promoting collaborative research not only in regard to high-tech ventures but also with large-scale manufacturers. It also established the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance, in 2007, in conjunction with the Man Group, the world’s largest hedge fund. This institute brings together economists, computer scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, and engineers to conduct joint research on financial engineering.
Dr. Hood also explained that demands for the transparency and professional management of universities will further increase, in line with the efforts to expand cooperation with outside organizations.
Along with increased financial support and more ent scrutiny from external parties, universities need to pay closer attention to their administrative structure and the recruitment of capable academic and administrative staff.
Currently, the University of Oxford is pursuing fundraising efforts on an unprecedented scale. This is based on a principle that financial self-sufficiency is essential to attract excellent faculty members and students, and to solidify the academic foundation. In conclusion, Dr. John Hood again stressed that the fundamental social role of universities would remain unchanged, amidst all these changes. Universities are responsible for creating an atmosphere that is conducive to research, educating our leaders of tomorrow, and building an infrastructure in which scholars can fulfill their responsibilities as “critic and conscience” of our societies.
During the question and answer session, the audience asked questions about a variety of issues, such as the conflict between educational autonomy and equal opportunity, the vice-chancellor appointment process, student admission policy, financial structure, faculty employment, and career development. In response, Dr. Hood provided detailed descriptions about the experiences of Oxford University and other universities in the U.K.

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