| 부산일보가 본 부경대학교!(PKNU President Interviewed by Busan Daily Newspaper) | |||
| 작성자 | 대외협력과 | 작성일 | 2017-01-10 |
| 조회수 | 1311 | ||
| 부산일보가 본 부경대학교!(PKNU President Interviewed by Busan Daily Newspaper) | |||||
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대외협력과 | ![]() |
2017-01-10 | ![]() |
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부경대학교 김영섭 총장은 “교육·연구와 함께 중요한 대학의 가치는 더불어 성장하는 것.”이라면서, “부경대는 우수 인재와 독보적인 연구결과를 끊임없이 생산해 주변에 나눠주고 흡수시키며 상생발전을 지향한다.”고 10일 강조했다. 김 총장은 이날 부산일보 26면의 부산지역 대학 총장 릴레이 인터뷰 ‘부산 교육을 듣다 - 김영섭 부경대 총장’편에서 이같이 밝혔다.
이 인터뷰 기사 제목도 ‘부경대 인재‧교육, 지역과 나누며 상생할 것’이었다. 김 총장은 “(대학이) 생존 위기를 돌파하기 위해 학생 수를 늘리고 덩치를 키우는 방식은 한계가 있다. 새로운 비전이 필요하다.”면서 부경대가 ‘지역과 기업과 세계와 더불어 성장하는 대학’을 지향하며 가고 있는 배경을 설명했다. ‘대학의 위기를 어떻게 진단하는가?’에 대한 질문에 김 총장은 “학령인구 감소로 대학 수입이 줄고 운영이 어렵다는 게 위기론의 골자다.”면서, “하지만 학령인구 감소는 오히려 교육 정상화의 과정이라 본다.”고 밝혀 눈길을 끌었다. 인터뷰 기자는 이 같은 김 총장의 견해에 대해 ‘모두가 생존 논리로 대학의 미래가 암울하다고 하지만, (김 총장은) 발상의 전환으로 돌파할 수 있다고 강조했다.’고 썼다. 어떻게 돌파한다는 것일까?
그럼 그는 무엇을 지금 대학의 위기로 보고 있을까? 김 총장은 “새로운 시대를 준비하는 대학 교육의 큰 그림이 없다. ‘큰 그림’에는 대학 스스로 방향성을 결정해 나아갈 수 있는 여건이 핵심이다.”면서, “(그런데) 대부분 대학이 비슷한 특성화사업을 펼치고 정부가 이를 지원하는 현재의 방식을 실패할 수밖에 없다. 전국 200개 대학이 똑같은 도로를 똑같은 속도로 달리고 있는 형국이기 때문이다.”고 지적했다. 그래서 그는 “대학이 자율적으로 나아갈 길을 모색하고 정부가 이를 지원하는 장치가 필수적이다.”고 강조했다. 그런 면에서 부경대의 생존전략이 바로 ‘지역과 기업과 세계와 더불어 성장하는 대학’이란 것이다.
이를 통해 김 총장은 “우리가 키워낸 인재가, 우리가 밝혀낸 진리가 인류의 발전과 행복에 기여하는 당당한 대학이 ‘위대한 대학’이다.”라면서, “부경대는 우리가 잘 하는 분야, 미래 100년의 발전을 담보할 수 있는 분야에서 탁월한 성과를 내는 ‘위대한 대학’을 지향한다.”고 강조했다. 요즘 청년들에게 해주고 싶은 말은? ▷인터뷰 기사 전문 보기 “One important issue for the university is co-development, of course, together with education and research,” President of Pukyong National University Kim Young-seup said in an interview with Busan Daily Newspaper. He also emphasized, “We move towards the development of everyone, keep producing and sharing leading-edge research and talent.” President Kim’s interview was published on page 26 of the newspaper on January 10, as one of a special series of articles entitled “Deep Dive into Education in Busan,” for which some presidents of universities in Busan region were interviewed in turn, with the subtitle of “PKNU pursues co-development with the region and the world.” For examples of ‘co-developing PKNU,’ he said: “PKNU’s Institute for Lifelong Learning yearly opens 230 classes for ten thousand local residents. And the University opened the entire Yongdang campus for companies to foster a supportive environment for hundreds of businesses and workers. Also, as an authority in the field of ocean and fisheries, we deliver cutting-edge technology to developing countries like Africa to promote mutual growth.” “Expanding and accepting more and more students cannot be a fundamental way for universities to survive. We need a new solution,”President Kim explained the background of co-development. In response to the question “What do you think of the crisis of universities?” he answered: “It is said that the reduction in the number of students causes management problems to universities, due to the lack of budget. However, I see it as an opportunity for educational growth and development.” The article noted that President Kim emphasized the possibility of overcoming the situation with different point of view, while others worried about the future of universities. The problem becomes the solution. “Now, average class size at university in Korea is 30 students per teacher, which is bigger than in any other OECD country, even than in Vietnam and Mexico,”the PKNU president said. “It is inevitable for school to reduce the number of students to around 20 per teacher. We also need to get ready for the fourth industrial revolution.” “We believe that problem-solving ability, one of the core competencies in the upcoming era, can be improved through discussions in the classroom, but the reality is 40 students are sitting in a classroom, which makes it hard to have a substantive debate,” he continued. “So a decrease in the number of students doesn't seem like a crisis to me, but rather creating an ideal environment to foster the talents of the next generation. Then what does President Kim see as the crisis of the university? “There is no big picture for the next generations. The universities need to work on deciding their own way, and the government is responsible for providing a better environment for them,”he pointed out. “But most universities are running similar projects, and the government supports it without thorough consideration. It’s like 200 universities in the country are running on the same road at the same speed at the same time.” “A university needs its own survival strategy, and PKNU figured it out: co-development with the city, the companies and the world,” he emphasized. At the end of the interview the PKNU president said, “We will provide a firm basis for enhancing the reputation of Busan City as an international hub of ocean and fisheries. I will make every effort to successfully invite the World Fisheries University to the Daeyeon Campus during my terms in office, and to shore up the PKNU’s financial stability.” “When the university devotes to training young talent and pursuing the truth that can contribute to the development and happiness of mankind, we call it a Great University,” he claimed. “We, PKNU, go forward to become the Great University, achieving the best outcomes in the field of our expertise.” “It’s easy to feel pessimistic these days. Everyone says no job and few places to work,”President Kim said to young people. “But I hope they don’t feel too intimidated. The future has not come yet. We still can try and do anything.” <Pukyong Today> |