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Understanding University Rankings
Understanding University Rankings
University Rankings are a major factor for many students when selecting which university to attend. They are generally perceived as an important indication of prestige of the university and quality of their research and education.
There are many university rankings published annually. Some rankings evaluate universities within a single country, while others assess institutions worldwide. In the United States, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine are among the more recognized rankings. In Korea the Korean Council for University Education evaluates universities.
Times Higher Education (THE), QS World University Rankings®, U.S. News & World Report and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) also known as Shanghai rankings are among the more recognized global university rankings.
THE World University Rankings 2023 included 1,799 universities across 104 countries. It used 18 performance indicators (PIs) to determine the rankings. Research environment and research quality make up 59% of the grade with teaching 29.5%. International collaboration and international outlook are also considered (10%)
QS world university rankings are prepared by the British Company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The 20th edition of the rankings featured 1,500 universities across 104 locations. The highest weighted PI in QS ranking is the Academic Reputation of the University (30%) followed by faculty citations (20%). Since 2023, QS has included Sustainability, Employment Outcomes and International Research Network (each 5%) in their methodology. Teaching related measures (faculty student ratio) only determines 10% of the grades.
The 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings included 2000 universities from 95 countries. The rankings are based on thirteen PIs, all of which are research oriented with no teaching related indicators involved.
ARWU published by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, considers every university that has any Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, Highly Cited Researchers, or papers published in Nature or Science. In addition, universities with a significant amount of papers indexed by Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) are also included. In 2022 a total of more than 2500 universities were ranked, and the best 1000 were published.
ARWU uses four general indicators consisting of quality of education (10%), quality of faculty (40%), research output (40%) and per Capita Performance (10%). Quality of education and faculty are determined by such measures as the number of alumni and faculty receiving Nobel Prizes, Field Medals and highly cited research.
As it can be seen, these rankings are heavily focused on research and reputation of the universities. THE is probably a more balanced ranking system which includes teaching among its PIs.
University rankings have been criticized by many. One of the main criticisms has been that rankings reduces the universities’ performances to a set of numbers alone which can not convey the broader experience of education. Furthermore, these rankings pay minimal attention to the real-world undergraduate experience. Factors that can make a huge difference to a positive education.
As a result, some universities have been accused of “fudging” the data or “playing the numbers game” to improve their rankings without any consideration for the quality of their education. As an example, a number of Law Schools started to put more emphasis on LSAT scores after U.S. News gave more weight to the average LSAT scores of entering students. This came at the price of all other measures that could indicate the success of students.
Another problem with university rankings is the focus on perceived reputation. The QS and Shanghai rankings have been criticized for their overemphasis on these factors. Would hiring more Nobel Prize laureates on faculty really improve quality of education, particularly undergraduate education, where many of them may not even teach?
As a result of these controversies some universities have recently dropped out of rankings such as U.S. News. Withdraws form U.S. News rankings is most significant among Law schools and Medical Schools where almost all of the major universities such as Harvard, Columbia, John Hopkins, etc. Have recently dropped out. Among undergraduate program rankings, Colombia is the most recognized school that will no longer participate.
The general recommendation of many educators to students is that they should not consider rankings as the only (and even most significant) criterion for selecting schools. They should rather evaluate which university and program fits their profile and needs best and allows them to achieve their full potential.
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2023.12.11
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In-Ki Joo, Business Management Professor, was selected as an inductee into the Korea Accounting Hall of Fame
Business Management Department Professor In-Ki Joo was selected as an inductee into the Korea Accounting Hall of Fame for 2023. The Accounting Hall of Fames seeks to recognize outstanding accountants who have made significant contributions to improving Korea’s accounting industry and the country’s economic development. On October 31, 2023, Professor Joo was officially inducted into the 2023 Accounting Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony.
Professor Joo has contributed significantly to the development of modern accounting. He achieved this through numerous published lectures and books related to various fields in accounting. Beyond his academic contributions, he played a pivotal role in the development of the public sector of accounting as an accounting and tax advisor, and engaged in various committees within the accounting field.
He has also enhanced the status of the Korean Certified Public Accountants globally by representing Korea in the International Accounting Standards Commission (IASC) in 1987, where he actively advocated Korea’s situation during the development of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In addition, he served as the president of the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA) from 2009 to 2011. His leadership also extended to becoming the first Korean president of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) from 2018 to 2020. During his stewardship of these international global organizations, he opened doors for South Korea to participate in various international accounting organizations, solidifying his legacy as a global accounting figure.
Professor In-Ki Joo is a leading professor in Business Management at SUNY Korea, Stony Brook University. He earned his B.A. degree from Yonsei University, an MBA from Seoul National University and New York University, and a Ph.D. from New York University.
http://www.kahof.org/contents/bbspage/xbd/board.php?bo_table=m4_db1&wr_id=26
2023.11.01
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Professor Yoon Seok Yang Takes to the Stage at the Korea Times Forum
Professor Yoon Seok Yang from the Computer Science Department was a featured speaker at the Korea Times Forum: Survival and Growth Strategies in the AI Era, which took place on Wednesday, October 18th, at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul. Professor Yang took part in the initial panel discussion, which focused on the transformative influence of AI technology on human society and addressed the ethical concerns accompanying its advancement. Along with Professor Yang, Uhm Yul, Director General of the Artificial Intelligence Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, Chang Joong-ho, a professor at Seoul School of Integrated Sciences & Technologies (aSSIST), and Kim Myoung-shin, Principal Policy Officer at LG AI Research were also esteemed participants of the discussion panel.
Professor Yang highlighted: “I have worked in Silicon Valley for over ten years, and I was part of the AlphaGo developing team, and all developers say that the AI developing trend is so fast that even they don’t know how and when AI will become the dominant force in the future world.
AI innovation holds significant potential across diverse industries. Specifically, it plays a pivotal role in the medical industry, aiding the development of new drugs and medical treatments; contributes to risk assessment and investment analysis within the financial industry; and its language model technologies reshapes operations within the business sector. These advancements all influence our present way of life.
When considering the ethical factors, we cannot stop the growth in technological advancement; rather we need to focus on minimizing side effects through regulations. Emphasizing the risk factors is crucial when developing new technologies, and simultaneously, safeguarding personal information must be a paramount concern."
Professor Yoon Seok Yang is an assistant professor in the Computer Science department at SUNY Korea, Stony Brook University. Professor Yang completed his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University. Prior to his academic role, he contributed as a research scientist at the Neuromorphic Computing Lab at Intel Labs in California, and worked in Google as a silicon and research engineer in the Tensor Processing Unit.
To access more about forum click this LINK
2023.10.19
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New Brain-Inspired Computing Lab Opens in the Computer Science Department
SUNY Korea’s new brain-inspired computing research lab has been established. Led by Professor Yoonseok Yang from the Computer Science department, the Brain-Inspired Computing Lab (BCL) focuses on developing new computing technologies inspired by the human brain.
Starting from the Fall 2023 semester, the lab has already attracted the attention and interest of several undergraduates and graduate students. Together with Professor Yang, they hope to foster an environment of creativity, experimentation, and new discoveries.
The BCL has joined the Intel Neuromorphic Research Community (INRC), a consortium of academic, government, and industry groups around the world that are working to advance neuromorphic computing.
Professor Yang is a leading expert in Neuromorphic Computing. His research has focused on developing new hardware and software platforms that can mimic the way the brain processes information. The BCL's work is expected to make significant contributions to the field of neuromorphic computing and could lead to the development of new and powerful computing technologies.
Lab link: https://sites.google.com/view/suny-bcl/home
2023.10.13
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The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on University Education
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on University Education
A recent study claimed that ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot, completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) undergraduate curriculum in mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering with 100-percent accuracy. While the study is a preprint, meaning that it hadn’t yet passed through peer review it has 15 authors, including several MIT professors.
Recent progresses in AI technology have raised several important questions for university educators. Will AI reduce students’ creativity? With access to vast amounts of information, students can use AI to solve their homework and assignments, rather than using their own creativity and knowledge to solve such problems. Does AI technology impact all fields of education equally? Will AI technology take away the control of education from universities and give control to major technology companies? Can AI effectively be used to improve higher education? While the answers to these and many other questions are still being debated, several conclusions can already be made.
AI technology will greatly impact higher education and we must accept that the traditional models of higher education must change dramatically. Technology will continue to advance and unless students and faculty adapt, they will be eliminated from the modern education system.
A major potential impact of AI is to change the education system from a teaching-centered to a learning-centered system. In this system students will have a much more active role in a class. The faculty will not play the only active role in a class, but the main participation will come from students. The impact is not limited to the role of the faculty. An AI based education system can move towards individualized education. It is understood that the learning ability of students can be very different. AI allows faculty to recognize these differences and provide individualized models of learning to different students and actively monitor their progress.
While AI technology can be used in all fields, the level of its application can be different. For example, in areas such as chemistry and biology and mechanical engineering where visual modeling is important AI can have a lot of applications. In contrast in fields such as theoretical mathematics, the application may be less.
The application of AI tools such as ChatGPT in some of the areas of arts or humanities such as language and literature can be significant. In general, the impact in theoretical fields may be more limited.
A properly designed AI based education actually may help advance students’ creativity. For example, in the current educational system students are asked to memorize a lot of information. Using AI, the system instead can focus more on analysis and research of complex problems. Obviously, the types of questions must change from simple questions to those requiring research and analysis. Questions which can be answered through an Internet search are not typically complex problems faced in industry and society anyway.
Students today are very technology savvy, mastering any new technology very quickly. Continuous training for faculty to keep up with students in this regard is essential. Today we are educating students for jobs that do not yet exist. The same conditions apply to AI based education. Many faculty were educated when such technologies did not exist. This gap between what faculty learned and what they need to apply today must be addressed with sustained continuing education. Utilizing teams of faculty with different expertise is a way of addressing this issue.
Addressing a complex problem such as this requires educational authorities to develop a road map, utilizing faculty administrators and experts who believe in the need for change to bring this new technology into the educational system.
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2023.09.25
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FIT Professor’s Participation in Two Global Exhibitions
Linda Kim, an FIT professor, has participated in two global exhibitions this summer: 2023 SFTI-Piattaforma Moda International Exhibition in Milan and 2023 International Fashion Art Exhibition in Stockholm.
The 2023 SFTI-Piattaforma Moda International Exhibition took place in Milan, Italy from July 6th-8th. The Korean Society of Fashion & Textile Industry and Piattaforma Sistema FormativoModa ETS (Piattaforma) co-hosted this international exhibition, with the theme of ‘Making Fashion Circular’.
Darkness to Light
For this exhibition, Professor Kim designed artwork that was naturally dyed using indigo, nutgall, and red soil on upcycled and braided denim shirts. The piece of art is called “Darkness to Light,” because it portrays a gradient of the dyed colors in the clothing.
Another exhibition Professor Kim participated in was the 2023 International Fashion Art Exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden. An ongoing exhibition from August 22nd to September 22nd, exhibits promote the charm of K-fashion under the theme of Obangsaek (오방색: the color scheme of the five traditional Korean colors that include white, black, blue, yellow, and red).
Professor Kim designed a piece, “Cheonggiwa Hanok,’ that represents the Korean Traditional House with blue roof tiles by layering this organza and translucent mesh fabric: the elegant curves of blue roof tiles, and the shadows and light reflected on the window paper are expressed.
Cheonggiwa Hanok (Korean Traditional House with Blue Roof Tiles)
Professor Linda Kim is an International Director at The Korean Society of Fashion Business and a Full Member at The Korea Fashion & Culture Association. Professor Kim has participated in numerous international fashion exhibitions and fashion shows, and has been at SUNY Korea since 2014.
2023.09.06
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Professor and Chair Vincent Quan's Contribution to the WWD Korea
K-Fashion Conundrum
Hallyu is alive and well. The global phenomena of K-Beauty, K-Brand Ambassadors, K-Cars, K- Drama, K-Electronics, and K-Pop, amongst other sectors, have been sweeping the world. Is Korean culture of the present a unique entity or are there parallels from Japan of the past? Is it fathomable that K-Beauty was preceded by J-Beauty, K-Cars preceded by J-Cars, K-Electronics preceded by J-Electronics, and others?
Not long ago, Japanese brands similarly swept the globe with names such as Sony and Panasonic dominating the television industry. Today, these brands have been usurped by LG and Samsung. In December 1997, Toyota introduced the first hybrid, gas-electric vehicle called the Prius. This was over a quarter of a century ago. However, instead of taking the Prius hybrid to the next level, full electric, the Japanese manufacturer rested on its laurels paving the way for numerous competitors such as Tesla to develop and launch fully electric vehicles. A recent visit to Washington DC’s Union Market revealed an interesting yet unscientific observation. The line of cars parked along one row of the parking lot had more Hyundais than Hondas.
More importantly, has K-Fashion achieved equal or greater global success than the aforementioned sectors riding the Korean wave? This depends on the definition of K-Fashion. If K-Fashion includes K-Pop celebrities wearing and endorsing fashion goods, then the answer is certainly “Yes.” On the other hand, if K-Fashion is defined by the global recognition of Korean fashion designers as leaders in the fashion world, then the answer may be quite different.
It takes time to take a deeper dive into K-Fashion. Specifically, there are two distinctions which need to be made. For Korean fashion brands, there are brands which bear the name of the designer and there are brands which do not bear the names of the designers. For the former, think of brands such as Hyein Seo and Wooyoungmi versus brands such as Andersson Bell and Gentle Monster for the latter.
The history of J-Fashion goes back more than fifty years. If challenged to name the top three to five global Japanese fashion designers and their eponymous labels, who would they be? If asked to name the same number of Japanese fashion brands but not bearing the designers’ name, who would they be? Now, replicate these questions for Korean designers and brands. Perhaps, one or two Korean designers or brands come to mind but what about the rest?
The goal of any nation is to increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the total market value of all the goods and services produced by a country within a specified period. Korea has been masterful across many sectors in increasing its GDP through the careful planning and marketing of numerous Korean brands to the world. However, one could argue that K-Fashion is an exception to the trend.
Looking back at the history of Japanese fashion, there are lessons to be learned and perhaps “reinvented” from investments by Japanese fashion designers beginning in the early 1970s. According to Yuniya Kawamura, Professor of Sociology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and author of The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion, and Fashion-ology: Fashion Studies in the Postmodern Digital Era, one of the key factors was that “Japanese designers went to Paris and were legitimated by French fashion professions, such as editors, critics, publicists, and buyers, who were the gatekeepers of fashion prior to the invention of the Internet. They became members of the French fashion federation that controlled Paris Fashion Week every season. Kenzo Takada who created his own brand in 1970 in Paris and was a pioneer and forerunner for other Japanese designers.” According to Dr. Kawamura, Japanese fashion designers who began the J-Fashion revolution such as Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo showed their first collections in Paris from the early 1970's to early 1980's. In retrospect, these global brands are still relevant nearly fifty years later.
Today, the physical landscape of fashion has been transformed by digital technologies such as 3D design software, artificial intelligence, and social networking services (SNS). What will it take for Korean fashion designers to achieve similar global success? The answers may lie in looking back at the history of Japanese fashion designers along with an intimate knowledge of today’s technologies using social media to grow brand recognition and sales.
In a recent conversation with the chief designer of Korean fashion brand MMAM (Maison Museum of Modern Art), Ms. Hyun Park states that her brand appeared five consecutive times at Seoul Fashion Week to build brand recognition. MMAM along with local brands CHARM’S and KIMMY.J were recently awarded the opportunity to participate in New York Fashion Week (NYFW) under the 2023 Concept Korea New York program sponsored by the Seoul City Government.
While programs sponsored by the government sector such as Concept Korea and Fashion Code have contributed to the exposure of Korean fashion labels, is it enough to reach the level of success as Japanese designers have achieved? Probably not. Building a globally recognized brand will require substantial investments by both the public and private sectors to support local brands. Juun.J would be an example. Participation in a few of the major Fashion Weeks around the world is also a must.
Is settling down in Paris a requirement too? It probably would not hurt to take a page from Kenzo or his peers. In the meantime, “Whassup” Korean Fashion Designers? Do we have all the pieces in place to truly go global?
As a footnote, the sequencing of the upcoming Spring/Summer (SS24) Fashion Week schedule commences in early September with New York followed by London, Milan, and culminating in Paris. This leads to another question. How does a city like Seoul become the fifth fashion capital of the world?
Click here to read the article in Korean
2023.08.28
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MEC Professors’ Paper Selected as Journal Cover
A research article by Mechanical Engineering Department Professor Yang and postdoctoral researcher Park, along with several co-workers – “Structural Color Generation on Transparent and Flexible Substrates by Nanosecond Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures” – was selected as the cover picture of the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, published on May 24, 2023. Being selected as the cover picture of a journal article has the significance of being regarded as a representative feature of the journal and promotes advertisement through various media to attract the public. Professors Yang and Park’s research is about:
“Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) fabricated by a nanosecond pulse laser patterning on metal-organic thin films. The photothermal effects, such as thermocapillary flow inducing the material reorganization, are mainly responsible for the controlled LIPSS formation. The LIPSS patterns exhibit iridescent structural coloration while illuminated with white light, distinguishing the color spectrum from red to blue.
After that, the LIPSS patterned substrates serve as a mold, and the nanostructures are successfully transferrable to the poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS), showing the mirror symmetry iridescent structural coloration. These results reveal that the solution-based LIPSS pattern formation from metal-organic thin film-coated substrates can effectively be extended for various optical applications and micro/nanostructure transferring tools for flexible/stretchable electronics.”
Arthanari, S., Park, J.-E., Bose, S., Kang, H.W., Kim, S., Yang, M., Lee, H. and Hwang, J.S. (2023), Structural Color Generation on Transparent and Flexible Substrates by Nanosecond Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (Adv. Mater. Technol. 10/2023). Adv. Mater. Technol., 8: 2370044. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202370044
Professor Min Yang Yang is a leading professor in SUNY Korea. Yang received his BS and MS from Seoul National University and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research areas are nanobiotechnology, sensor fabrication, and precision engineering.
Professor Jong Eun Park received his BS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from KAIST. Park has served as the postdoctoral researcher in Mechanical Engineering at SUNY Korea since March 2021, and also the adjunct professor since September 2022. His research interests are laser material processing and spectral sensing.
2023.06.30
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MEC Professor Wins The Lifetime Achievement Award at ERMR2023
Professor Seung-Bok Choi (MEC) has received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 18th International Conference on Electrorheological Fluids and Magnetorheological Suspensions (ERMR2023), held in Chongqing, China from June 9 to 12 2023. He started his research from 1985 and is still actively working on design and control sectors utilizing ERF and MRS such controllable automotive suspension system. At this conference he delivered a plenary lecture entitled, “Design of a new rotary MR damper for suspension system of purpose-built vehicles”.
Professor Choi received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Inha University, and MS and PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. He has served as the leading professor at SUNY Korea since March 2021.
2023.06.13
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Dr. Hamid Hefazi’s contribution to the Maeil Business Newspaper
College Students’ Mental Health; a crisis
Mental health of college students is a global problem that requires serious attention by university administrators. According to a 2022 survey by Best Colleges, in the United States more that 77% of college students experienced moderate to severe psychological distress. This included anxiety (35%), depression (27%) as well as trauma, eating disorder and bipolar and substance use disorders. Another 2020–2021 Healthy Minds Study, which collects data from 373 campuses nationwide found more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.
The situation in Korea is similar. A 2022 published study by Daejeon University conducted on 260 Korean Female College Students in 2018 (Pre-COVID-19) found that 51.9% experience light to sever depression. The rate increased to 69.1% in 2020 (Post-COVID-19). Overall in 2020, South Korea's suicide rate was 25.7 which is more than double the OECD average of 11 per 100,000 population. Although lower than the rate for the elderly (101.4 per 100,000 population) grade school and college students in Korea have a higher than average suicide rate.
Factors that affect suicide and suicide ideation are combinations of individual, family, and school factors. University education in Korea is very competitive. Students are constantly worried about their academic performance, grades, class rankings, etc. School-related influencing factors includes stress related to finding a job.
Several studies have suggested that critical communication by parents is an important family-related risk factor for suicidal ideation in Korean university students. Korean parents maintain a major influence on their children even after they are grown up. As a result, students who experience considerable critical communication from their parents that reduces their self-esteem, experience more suicidal ideation.
Dealing with mental health issues on university campuses requires a multifaced approach which includes university administrators, professors, students and students’ families.
Universities must ensure that students have access to high quality mental health care including psychological crisis intervention resources. The mental health care system in Korea can be hard to access and overwhelming for a student in crisis. A combination of on campus resources plus designated outside specialty clinics can help provide needed access.
Designing and implementing realistic programs tailored to students' academic majors to enhance their self-esteem and provide practical knowledge in dealing with academic stress will help students obtain a healthier school life emotionally as well as academically.
For young adults, college can offer self-discovery, lifelong friendships, and a better understanding of the world. However, college life may also bring enormous social and emotional pressures. Being away from family and friends, unfamiliar environments can cause intense levels of loneliness. Universities can help students navigate through these challenges by having programs that engages inspires and build friendly communities that students can feel safe and welcomed. Studies have also suggested that lack of physical exercise and adequate sleep are important factors for depression among students. Promoting a healthy life style should be an important part of student services programs.
Faculty paly a significant role in addressing mental health issues on University campuses. Universities must make sure faculty are adequately trained on how to identify students in distress and how to respond and refer them to mental health professionals. A study by Boston University School of public Health found that only 51 % have a good idea of how to recognize a student is in mental distress, with a mortify (61%) support mandatory training for faculty.
Finally, the role of families, particularly parents in student’s mental health is significant but more difficult to address by the universities. Education programs tailored to parents and families, such as brochures maybe effective methods for such communications.
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2023.06.12
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Dr. Hamid Hefazi’s contribution to the Maeil Business Newspaper
Academic Freedom in American Universitas
In the United States, academic freedom is a recognized principle in the higher education. It is generally defined by the "1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure," jointly authored by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. These principles broadly state that "Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject."
Academic freedom is based on the idea that to have a dynamic and safe environment for research, inquiry and education, faculty must have the right to engage in discipline-related teaching, learning, and research without outside interference. More specifically faculty must have the right to determine the universities’ curricula, teaching, students’ admission and evaluation criteria, research topics, publications, etc. The goal is to ensure that universities students and scholars can freely challenge the popular or conventional wisdom. The concept is closely related to principles of shared governance and tenure.
Many other countries including South Korea have adopted similar principles in their higher education system, albeit with different degrees of strength. In 2021 Freedom House placed Japan and Taiwan in its top 10% ranking, scoring 4 out of 4 for academic freedom. South Korea’s ranking tied with that of the US at 3 out of 4. China and North Korea, were in the bottom 10%, with academic freedom for both assessed at 0 out of 4.
Academic freedom however is not without limitations. The laws of society, including those concerning obscenity, pornography, and libel, apply to academic discourse and publication. Faculty also may not claim the privilege of discussing in their classroom controversial matter which has no relation to their subject. The above-mentioned 1940 statement also permits institutions to impose "limitations of academic freedom because of religious or other aims"
In the US, discussions of race, gender and sexual orientation are among the most controversial related issues. Can a professor use racial epithets in teaching a course? Should a white supremacist professor argue for his belief? Should academic freedom protect those who make false and morally repugnant claims? In response to these questions , many universities have adopted policies aimed at limiting speech and writing that is deemed discriminatory , or offensive on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or physical disability. Whereas supporters of the measures, known as “speech codes,” defended them as necessary to protect vulnerable groups against discrimination and harassment, opponents contend that they amounted to the legal enforcement of “politically correct” ideas and expressions.
In Korea, the atrocities committed by Japan during its occupation of Korea, and North Korea related topics are among the most controversial academic freedom issues. For example, academics have to tread carefully in accessing officially blocked North Korea state and media websites for their research in order to not violate the National Security Law passed in 1948.
As another example, In 2018 a Sunchon University professor was dismissed, prosecuted, and imprisoned for six months for insulting former Korean comfort women during a lecture . Sejong University scholar Park Yu-ha was fined in 2017 for false defamation of comfort women in her book Comfort Women of the Empire. Retired Yonsei University scholar Lew Seok-choon was tried after complaints from civic groups that he had insulted comfort women during a class.
Academic freedom is an active subject of controversy and debate. the universities are well advised to have an open dialog with their faculty and students on this topic with consideration of their university’s culture. While in the exercise of this freedom faculty members may, without limitation, discuss their own subject in the classroom, the principle of academic freedom shall be accompanied by a corresponding principle of social responsibility
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2023.02.13
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Professor and Chair Vincent Quan's Interview in Fashionista
Vincent Quan, professor and department chair of FIT SUNY Korea, was mentioned in FASHIONISTA, a well-known fashion news website published by Breaking Media.
In this article Professor Quan quoted, “FIT SUNY Korea offers an unparalleled win-win for the students and the creative/fashion sector in which we serve."
To read the full article click here --> https://fashionista.com/2023/01/fashion-schools-teaching-metaverse-classes
2023.02.03
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