University heads seek change amid declining enrolments

Presidents of the top 10 private universities in Seoul have stressed that local universities should seek changes and present a new vision to embrace challenges arising from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, writes Chung Hyun-chae for The Korea Times.

“In an era when artificial intelligence becomes smarter than humans in many significant aspects, universities should change how they cultivate future leaders and conduct research. Otherwise they will face insurmountable challenges,” Yonsei University President Kim Yong-hak said. “Institutes of higher education stand at a crossroads now.”

He made the remarks in his presentation to the inaugural forum of the presidents of the 10 universities on the Yonsei campus in Seoul on 13 June. The participating universities included Korea, Hanyang, Sogang and Chung-Ang universities. The forum, which is the first of its kind, came amid a growing sense of crisis facing local universities amid the decreasing number of students due to the low birthrates, and the advent of the information era.
Full report on The Korea Times site