Vision

Since its founding, Kyung Hee University has pursued the Kyung Hee Spirit of "Scholarship and Peace" as well as the founding principle of "creating a civilized world." For the past 62 years, the University has developed remarkably, contributing to the fulfillment of a "cultural world for humanity" as the leader of the future of academics and the creator of common values for humanity. In particular, the past five years have witnessed notable growth and a rise in the University's stature through forward-looking and adventurous endeavors in education, research, public service, and praxis.

On its 60th anniversary in 2009, Kyung Hee University prepared for a second leap forward while seeking a new paradigm of future university development. It reflected on the fundamental mission of the University and established a new vision and goals for becoming a true university of the future. In this new vision for a university that transcends the traditional notion of the university as a mere physical location and the limitations of an exclusive academe, Kyung Hee University will rise to international prestige and develop into an international center of research, education, and praxis that brings together reality and imagination, the basics and applied sciences, and theory and practice. Pursuing "Global Eminence" on a foundation of academic excellence, Kyung Hee University will become an academic community that fulfills its social responsibility by cultivating world citizens with the capacity for communication and public service.

With a tradition of "Scholarship and Peace," Kyung Hee University has worked towards "Global Eminence," sincerely reflected on the fundamental role of the university, and repeatedly challenged itself to fulfill this role. In particular, 2011 was a year in which Kyung Hee searched for a breakthrough in "the future of the university, the future of humanity" through introspection and self-reflection. Kyung Hee prepared the "Global Eminence 2020" development strategy and the Kyung Hee Future Compact, the ethical foundation on which this strategy will be based.

The Future Compact is a promise made by members of the Kyung Hee community to establish a university culture of dialogue, harmony, consideration, and respect to create a "respected university." The spirit of the Future Compact is in accordance with the University's founding spirit, which was established over 60 years ago. This spirit of creating a "better community and a respected university" runs parallel to the University's tradition of "Scholarship and Peace" based on the creative combination of education, research, and practice.

The need for such a promise was apparent in 2011 when Kyung Hee University made the difficult decision of freezing tuition at current rates for three years. This decision required communication and harmony between Kyung Hee's various members, a democratic decision-making process and respect for the outcome, and spiritual and cultural camaraderie based on a set of shared values. Through multiple discussions among faculty, students, staff, and the administration, all members of the Kyung Hee community were able to share their visions, goals, and values to create a new set of guidelines and values on which to cooperatively build a better university. As such, the Future Compact contains an "action guide" that respects differences and individual creativity while also promoting a community consciousness for mutual prosperity. This guide is based on five core values: correlation, collectiveness and safety, consideration and respect, transparency and ethics, and public good. The members of the Kyung Hee community came together as equals at Magnolia 2011--a year-end celebration for faculty and students--in December 2011 to share, keep, and carry out the visions and values of the Kyung Hee Future Compact.

The Kyung Hee Future Compact

Global Eminence 2020 is a set of "flexible guidelines" that delineate the visions and goals for a development strategy to create a future university that is true to its fundamental responsibilities, and that leads the world community by the creative convergence of education, research, and practice. By sharing these guidelines, each college, graduate school, and affiliated institute autonomously establishes and implements its own development plans. The vision of Kyung Hee in a decade is of a "top world-class university of global eminence." Kyung Hee seeks "world-class" prestige not to improve its reputation of academic excellence, but to create a better future on the two wings of "Scholarship and Peace."

Global Eminence 2020 is based on the principles of "connection and consolidation," whereas existing development strategies are based on "selection and focus." By the active engagement of five clusters of cooperation, Global Eminence 2020 will elevate Kyung Hee University as a world-class institution in convergence education. These five clusters are: Human Civilization, Bio-Medical Science/Bio-Health, Future Science, Cultural Arts, and Social Athletics.

Global Eminence 2020