Honorable founding Chairman Tae-Joon Park, fellow Postechians, guests, ladies and gentlemen!

We are gathered here today to commemorate the significant occasion of POSTECH’s 20th Anniversary.

I would like to extend my deepest respects to the founding Chairman Tae-Joon Park for his dedication and resolution to establish a world-class research-oriented university despite overwhelming criticism and opposition 20 years ago and to POSTECH Foundation and POSCO for their absolute confidence and wholehearted support. Also, warm welcome is due to the many dedicated people who have contributed to make POSTECH what it is today.

Although I cannot introduce those individuals one by one at this point, we will acknowledge them during the ceremony later. Also, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all friends and family of POSTECH for being here with us.

Dear fellow Postechians,

On April 10th 2006, POSTECH VISION 2020 was declared on this very podium to proudly celebrate our 20 year journey and to step up as a pioneer of Korea by advancing science in the future. It is a vision, for POSTECH to strive towards becoming one of the world’s top 20 research-oriented universities by the year 2020.

This Vision declaration was not just a showcase. It was our promise to everyone in the nation that POSTECH will continuously strive towards greater excellence.

So I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm that I am confident POSTECH will realize the POSTECH VISION 2020.

Looking back, POSTECH’s 20 years of history itself was a challenge to impossibility. In 1986, POSTECH’s mission to become “the world’s research-oriented university” faced many disbelievers. However, we have successfully overcome many obstacles and have risen to become an internationally notable science and technology university.

Now that POSTECH has come of an adult age, we must take a pride in our past accomplishments and realign our efforts to become a world’s top-tier university. As we have systematically accomplished our previous goals, by pursuing possibility thinking mentality in areas of education, research and administration, we will not only become one of the world’s top 20 research-oriented universities but also strengthen Korea’s national competitiveness.

Dear fellow Postechians,

I believe our successful realization of Vision 2020 crucially hinges upon innovation of administration processes and campus globalization.

Since February 2006, we began and efficiently pursued reforms to strengthen our administrative system despite operational and financial burdens. It is an immense task consisting of restructuring research, academic, financial and other administrative processes as well as standardizing processes which must be completed before launch in March 2007 and for its successful implementation and stabilization, we must double our efforts.

We must overcome difficulties in successfully implementing university administration reforms. We must not be content with our current successes. Short-sightedness in our actions and thoughts will wake us from dreaming of a greater future and impair our vision. We can and must accomplish tasks that no other universities could accomplish.

Campus globalization is another important task for all members to accomplish.

Even with the rapidly changing 21st century knowledge-based society to a ubiquitous society, universities’ primary purpose has remained the same, for the advancement of human prosperity through pursuit of truth and education. At the same time, there is a growing need for international joint research collaborations by universities and to foster the next global leaders. In this aspect, campus globalization is a crucial agenda for POSTECH.

Starting in 1986 as Korea’s first research-oriented university, POSTECH made a pledge to students, parents and to the high school teachers that we will eliminate the need for studying abroad. We have delivered on this promise with many POSTECH B.S.-M.S.-Ph.D. graduate alumni appointed professorships at leading foreign universities.

Geographical limitations cannot be a disadvantage. POSTECH sends more than 80% of all students overseas to expand their views and to clarify their research interests. We will create a foreigner-friendly environment at POSTECH by expansion of courses lectured in English, construction of POSCO International Complex and other campus globalization efforts.

Yet, progress on this requires much more efforts. We must commit to providing an environment where they can freely pursue their education and communication is not a barrier. Currently, 25% of undergraduate and 35% of graduate courses are taught in English. We must raise it to 100% for all undergraduate and graduate courses by 2010.

If we do not accomplish globalization speedily, POSTECH will not only lose the competitive edge amongst world’s leading universities but also amongst Korean universities.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today we will unveil and declare a new UI (University Identity) which was created using university’s English name POSTECH, underlining our determination to become a world top class research-oriented university.

Each of the seven letters of POSTECH represents every Postechians’ passion and challenge toward the world. For the next 20 years POSTECH will strive towards greater excellence following the ambitious determination behind the new UI.

Dear fellow Postechians, ladies and gentlemen.

The past 20 years of POSTECH has been a history we can be proud of.

Postechians have revolutionized the Korean university history.

However, we cannot afford to be complacent. By striving for far greater achievements based on our accomplishments over the past 20 years, we will revolutionize the history of world’s university over the next two decades.

To conclude, I would like to ask for your continuous support and would also like to extend my deep appreciation once again to the founding Chairman Tae-Joon Park and other guests who are here with us today to commemorate our 20th Anniversary.

Thank you very much.

Chan-Mo Park
President
POSTECH