Taejae University isn't playing by any of the old rules
![Yeom Jae-ho, president of Taejae University, opens the door to the Taejae Foundation's headquarters in Jongno District, central Seoul, last month. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/03/03/37931043-f939-471c-872f-8f2476030b2d.jpg)
Yeom Jae-ho, president of Taejae University, opens the door to the Taejae Foundation's headquarters in Jongno District, central Seoul, last month. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]
Taejae University, which will open next March with an all-online curriculum, is already being flooded with inquiries.
Taejae University will be the first university in Korea to use an all-online educational model. Harvard University professor Stephen Kosslyn, who was in charge of designing the Minerva School, advised Taejae University.
Established by Cho Chang-geol, founder of Korea’s largest furniture maker, Hanssem, Taejae University will hold a briefing this month to recruit students. If the Ministry of Education issues final approval in October, the university can appoint a president, professors and staff. We discussed Taejae University’s plans with Yeom Jae-ho, former president of Korea University, who is set to be appointed the first president of Taejae.
The following are edited excerpts of the interview.
Q. A lot of parents are inquiring about Taejae University.
A. Yes, parents come to us and ask what they can do to get their children into our university. I tell them, “Do nothing.” Parents can’t help.
How will you admit students? Will the College Scholastic Ability Test (suneung) count?
We are selecting 100 students in a diverse manner, so if a student has an outstanding CSAT score we might consider them. But we won’t be selecting students just based on grades. Prospective students’ course plans will be most important. Course plans, personal statements, and school records will be the basis for us to select students. The students will go through three rounds of interviews before being selected.
How will the three interviews be conducted?
The first interview will be an in-depth interview to test the scholastic abilities of the student. The second will be personality reviews by the professors. The last interview will be conducted by board members of the foundation and will check whether the students have strong aptitudes for leadership.
What will you be looking for in course plans and personal statements?
We will be looking for potential, and whether the students are looking at the world with the eyes of a leader. Qualifications that were made just for the sake of entering universities won’t be taken into consideration. A while ago, I participated as a judge for something involving high school students, and the students had written a book in English to get into universities in the United States. When I looked at it closely, I found that the parents had written the book for their children. That kind of thing won’t work when getting into Taejae. Rather, students should think about why our university would regret it if we don't select them, and work on that. We won’t admit a lot of students, so it will be possible to determine which students are the best through the interviews.
Will students be able to apply to Taejae while applying to other universities at the same time?
Our university will be a digital university, and digital universities can start the selection process in December. So we plan to negotiate with the Ministry of Education to make simultaneous applications possible.
What would the curriculum be like?
Taejae University will have four departments: the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of Natural Sciences, the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and the Department of Business Innovation. From the first semester to the second year, intensive language education and undergraduate studies will be the main focus. After taking online classes at a metaverse campus that resembles Changdeok Palace and space stations, students will go abroad from the summer of their sophomore year, and take project classes in major cities in the U.S., China, Russia and Japan. In the second semester of their fourth year, students will return to Seoul to study.
What are project classes?
Project classes are where students form groups and directly carry out projects linked to non-profit organizations or companies. For example, in Japan, it could be trying to come up with an alternative housing strategy to counter the effects of an aging society. The goal is to let the students directly apply what they learned to real life.
The faculty's role must be very important at Taejae University. Have you selected your professors?
The deans for the four departments have been selected. We are not at the stage of announcing names yet, but they are all very qualified professors. Professors at Taejae won’t have to do research, and will focus only on educating students. We are planning to hire 60 to 70 professors in total, and all professors will be subject to an evaluation every two to three years, instead of getting tenure. If the professors get a good evaluation, they will be given even better treatment and pay, so the quality of education will be guaranteed.
What would Taejae University graduates go on to do in terms of their careers?
We expect that Taejae University graduates will go on to about five different fields. Global companies, start-ups, graduate school, international organizations and think tanks or NGOs. We will be assigning career specialists to each student as well.
Will there be any restrictions on who can apply?
There are no restrictions, anyone can apply to Taejae University. But it will be difficult to get accepted, and it will be even more difficult to graduate. We plan to select 100 Korean students but if the applicants don’t live up to our expectations, we might not fill that quota. Complaining about low grades to professors will also be impossible at Taejae University. I implore those who are brave to stand up to the challenge.
BY LEE HOO-YEON [kjdnational@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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