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 expected 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 University's fundamental mission and established a new vision and goals for becoming a proper 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 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 for this strategy.
The Future Compact promises 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 following 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 build a better university cooperatively. 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 the 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.
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 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 development plans. In a decade, the vision of Kyung Hee 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.
"A Civilized World" is created by humanity's determination and efforts with peace, human dignity, and happiness as the foremost principles. It is a global society where humanity transcends racial, national, ethnocultural, religious, ideological, and socio-economic barriers to coexist and prosper peacefully. It is also "a genuine field of life" in which the natural world can function in its essence, with humans at the center.
"A Civilized World" is "spiritually beautiful, materially affluent, and humanly rewarding." Spiritual and mental balance and harmony are necessary for happiness. We are pursuing a society in which all humanity can partake in the joys and value of life through this harmony. This is a society in which the individual can respect others while also finding the self and become sustainably abundant by creating new cultures and uprightness for future generations.
"A Civilized World" overcomes conflicts and confrontations through human effort. It strives to develop the modern phenomenon of technology while overcoming its damaging effects and maximizing its benefits. The goal is to improve humanity's welfare by creating a culture and civilization where new ideas and aesthetics can blossom.
In addition to "creating a civilized world," Kyung Hee University is creating an academic world that embodies humanity's shared values based on a tradition and spirit that harmonizes research, education, and practice. It will contribute to creating this new world by cultivating leaders with creative humanity.
Kyung Hee University's University Identity (UI), which has represented the University on and off-campus for the past 60 years, has been renewed.
The traditional symbol representing the University's founding principles and visions of "creating a civilized world" and "building a better society" has been reborn visually as a seal, an emblem, and a character mark. The new UI embodies Kyung Hee's vision to build upon the University's 60-year history to rise to the ranks of the world's most prestigious institutions.
While retaining the original seal's founding principles, the new design concept represents Kyung Hee's future ideal of contributing to the creation of a better global community by establishing new common values. The image of the official seal was taken from the embossed carvings placed in the Central Library of the Global Campus and the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies lobby, and its imprint will be used on official internationally recognized documents and international events.
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