2007 English Essay Contest
Grand Prize-winning Essay (University Division)
 

Moving Beyond Local:
Local Universities’ Pursuit for Student Competitiveness

Kim Kyong-seon, Junior, Dept. of Pharmacy

    I was born in Gyeonggi Province, but lived my entire teen years in Daegu, Gyeongsang Province. My life in Seoul started when I entered a university located in Seoul, followed by a career in Seoul. Later, I developed a different interest which led down a different career path, which eventually lead me to Chonnam National University in Jeolla Province where I am currently studying. I believe I would be a good example of how a regional background is no longer a limiting factor to people pursuing career and educational opportunities. And with rapid advances in technology, such as in telecommunications and transportation, this change is not only taking place in Korea, but all over the world. Open access to information has made the world seem ever so small, enabling people to easily move across it, seeking newer and better lives and experiences.
    Due to globalization, local universities can no longer expect to remain just local, for both positive and negative reasons. Although it is true that many highly qualified high school students still choose to go to regional universities, these universities cannot idly sit and wait for these excellent students to join them. Unless local universities take the initiative to attract high quality students, these students will soon, and without much difficulty, find their way outside the region. Therefore, local universities need to start finding ways to help their students attain a stronger competitive edge for the future.
    My relatively short-term experience so far in this local university and regional society has given me some insight, from a student’s perspective, into what a local university lacks. Based on these thoughts, I would like to point out a couple of things that I think local universities can improve in order to help students develop and transform the university’s identity as a local school from a shortcoming to an advantage.
    We know for a fact that a large percentage of “Seoulists” are from other regions in the country, and even from abroad. This varied composition of the population in the Seoul Metropolitan area is a major cause for the diversity Seoul offers. This diversity, in turn, benefits Seoul based university students by giving them more opportunities to explore different cultural, political, social and artistic experiences. These experiences teach the students also to learn to accept different viewpoints and lifestyles, develop their own ideas and creativity, and envision a future in larger context. Of course, these benefits are not directly offered by Seoul based universities. Rather, it has more to do with Seoul being a capital city, and perhaps less to do with the actual universities. Despite the fact, I think local university students are deprived of the opportunity to be naturally exposed to diverse aspects of our society by remaining in small communities that are inevitably more homogenous. This is where local universities should come in. They should strive to offer their students more varied cultural and social experiences so students can learn to establish their own value systems and develop a broader vision of the future. Inviting alternative cultural groups and various types of NGOs to local universities for lectures and activities, for instance, may be a good starting point to expose students to cultural and political movements and expand their horizons. I personally would love to see Al Gore, the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner, give his famous slide show on climate change, part of his environment awareness activities, in Chonnam National University’s central theatre. Imagine what a marvelous effect his show would have on our students’ minds and attitudes towards global warming! However, we do not necessarily have to rely on celebrity power to find ways to inspire students. Smaller, but substantial, social activities as well as quality exhibitions and other forms of art and performance can also be used as sources of inspiration for young minds establishing individual identities. Based on the original concept that universities are committed to helping students better prepare to lead the next generation, it is the responsibility of local universities to provide such valuable social and cultural opportunities for students. Many local universities do not seem to have sufficient opportunities at present, and are most likely not able to amply provide many due to the smallness of their regional society.
    I have discussed how to overcome the limits locality poses to university students, so now I would like to turn to a more positive view about locality. We may think differently about locality, not as something to overcome, but rather as something a local university can use to differentiate itself by showing its advantages. I definitely notice a sense of pride from the students and the university here as we’re the best university in the region, and I do not find this pride groundless. In many aspects, local universities are in the most advantageous position to specialize in the region’s specialties. Furthermore, they have a responsibility to try to revitalize the local society by developing valuable academic research on regional issues and heritage and provide future leaders for the local society. Local specialty studies may also contribute to the school’s identity – ultimately benefiting the students. In addition, a university’s active involvement in local and regional communities synergizes the power of both entities for the mutual benefit of both. By finding ways to connect students and regional societies through various occasions, such as industrial and academic collaborations as well as cultural events, the universities will be able to provide students with more hands-on experiences that will give them a more realistic view of their future career choices and other aspects of life.
    “The most Korean is the most global” is a phrase we often hear. Hackneyed as it may be, this phrase seems suitable to sum up what I have discussed here regarding local universities. I would edit this phrase a bit to read; the most local is the most Korean and global. Local universities should take the initiative to be truly local and global by providing students with both rich local culture and a variety of other cultural and world enlightening opportunities in order to nurture excellence and an open mind.