Incheon National University celebrates 10 years of being nation’s school

Incheon National University, under the leadership of President Park Jong-tae, marked its 10th anniversary since becoming a national university. It has varied innovative experiences as a university in Korea, having started with Incheon Technical...

President Park Jong-tae of Incheon National University [INCHEON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Incheon National University, under the leadership of President Park Jong-tae, marked its 10th anniversary since becoming a national university. It has varied innovative experiences as a university in Korea, having started with Incheon Technical College in 1979 and converting to Incheon National University in 2013. Since it is the only national university corporation along with Seoul National University, Incheon National University aims to build a new national university model based on its flexible management structure and become the fastest growing innovators in Korea.

Ever since transitioning into a national university, it aims to continue to lay the groundwork for university development by improving its infrastructure and educational research environment, while boosting its competitiveness by strengthening research capabilities and specialization. With the establishment of the university development plan INU Vision 2030+, Incheon National University has its eyes set on becoming one of the top 10 universities in Korea.

Since becoming a national university, the number of faculty papers published by international academic journals has increased by over 400 percent, its ratio of SCI-level papers jointly written with overseas institutions ranked among the top alongside major national universities including Seoul National University, and more than 60 percent of its professors are relatively young and creditable. These figures from Incheon National University are an all-time high, up about 20 percent from 2019, in the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. In addition, it is working to transition into a research-based university by establishing a cooperative research system centered on university research laboratories, since individual research alone has its limits, while improving evaluations and support systems of laboratories and increasing the budget and personnel for its laboratories. It plans to hold Incheon National University’s unique Signature Laboratory to these standards.

For employment rates, Incheon National University ranked second among national flagship universities last year, through running its career support system for the local youth, students and graduates. It has enjoyed remarkable success, as shown in the 2022 JoongAng Ilbo evaluation, in which it ranked third in the country and first among national universities in the start-up sector. It fosters about 60 student start-ups every year through start-up colleges, while its company employment results are excellent as well.

Incheon National University marked its 10th anniversary since converting to a national university. [INCHEON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Incheon National University also landed a total of 73.3 billion won ($55.4 million) in financial support projects in 2022, laying the foundation for its for long-term growth. In addition, it is also showing robust growth in various internal and external evaluations, including ranking 21st in the 2022 JoongAng Ilbo college rankings and 20th among Korean universities in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and even winning the Grand Prize among Korean national universities in a brand assessment ranking organized by New York Festivals and a local news outlet.

Incheon National University keeps its communal tie to the local society as it was converted into a national university with the help of Incheon citizens. Seeking to fulfill its role as a national university which accompanies the local community, the university has established a community companion platform, organizing community-linked projects efficiently. It is participating in the environmental sector of the small and intensive special research and development zone industry as a technology-intensive institution, while establishing a graduate school for master’s and doctorate professionals training in the field, together with the White Bio Industry Professional Training Project hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.

Incheon National University is still pushing to establish a public medical college, its main pending issue as of late. It has presented related law amendments at the National Assembly currently, and about 145,000 people signed a petition for its foundation. With the aim to call for the establishment of Incheon National University public medical college, a citizens’ council was formed which considered holding various events including a public cheering ceremony, parliamentary debate, signature campaigns and feasibility services. It is expected to be a catalyst for improving Incheon’s poor medical infrastructure and its imbalance, as well as resolving the public’s desire for health care.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary since becoming a national university this year, Incheon National University has organized charming events to celebrate its achievements, grown from a smaller university to one with international competitiveness over the past ten years, and looking forward to the next 10 years. The event is expected to be an opportunity to show its leading image as a global university and part of the local community, and university members will be invited to promote its performance externally.

Kicking off the 10-year celebration, symposiums, tributes for donors, and concerts will be held on April 28th, and a variety of extra events will take place from May 9 to 11, including a homecoming day for the professor emeritus and alumni association, a 10th anniversary festival Union, programs with local residents, and a citizen cheering festival for the establishment of a public medical college.

For its 10th anniversary, Incheon National University hopes to stand as a major global university, establishing its status as a local national university that contributes to the country as well as society with an international competitiveness. And with this effort, it will no doubt continue to improve its promising image.

BY PARK YE-EUN [park.yeeun@joongang.co.kr]