Influx of foreign professors creates new problems for universities

Posted on : 2008-12-05 13:53 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Fight for funding, verification process and ability to provide various services make it more difficult for universities to maintain foreign staff
 one of the top three universities in the country.
one of the top three universities in the country.

Foreign professors are coming into South Korea en masse.

As the presence of foreign professors becomes regarded more and more as a symbol of a “global university,” universities are competing to bring them in. The government is also actively supporting the hiring of foreign professors, declaring that it will “develop universities at a global level.” The 3,432 full-time foreign professors currently lecturing at South Korean universities in 2008 account for 4.7 percent of all professors. Their numbers have increased by over 500 from last year, or 18 percent, and well over two times the 1,390 from five years ago.

Increase of 2.5 times from five years ago

The World Class University Project pursued by the new government this year at a cost of 825 billion won has fueled the competition to bring in foreign professors. If a university is selected in this project and hires an outstanding foreign scholar, the government provides support in areas such as personnel and research expenses.

Because Seoul National University, which had a total of 20 proposals selected this year, invited 59 foreign professors, a separate support team was to be set up for it on Wednesday, it has been revealed. An SNU official said, “We plan to build not only research facilities so that foreign professors can settle in early on, but also a system matched to each individual in areas such as housing and welfare.”

In order to strengthen the international competitiveness of national and public universities, the government established a goal last August of “increasing the number of foreign professors by more than 10 times by next year” and even set new foreign faculty hiring quotas for each university. A professor at one Seoul-area private university said, “The percentage of foreign professors and the attraction of famous scholars is becoming the main criterion for the government and companies’ selection of targets for various kinds of support.” If a university is to be selected in just one or two areas, it needs to meet the competitive level of other universities, and foreign professors are also necessary to publicize the university’s status, the professor added.

Slipshod Verification of Quality and Ability

With universities wrapped up simply in bringing in foreign professors, there have been a number of cases where verification of quality and ability has been negligent. The selection of a professor from the United States for the WCU Project in the fields of the economy and business administration was cancelled after it was belatedly revealed that the individual in question had applied to both Korea University and Sogang University at the same time. This was a violation of a regulation forbidding overlapping applications for one project. “Several public announcements were made, and then this kind of thing happens,” lamented an official at Korea University, where the selection was cancelled.

Another foreign professor recently invited to Konkuk University is suspected of “double dissertation publication.” Also, in October, a foreigner hired as a full professor at SNU returned home unannounced a little over a month after starting lectures, citing difficulties adapting. An official at the university said, “The number of foreign professors is increasing rapidly, but there’s a lack of infrastructure to support them.”

Increased burden on a high exchange rate

Concerns have also grown recently due to the high exchange rate. Concerned about hiring difficulties, SNU’s College of Business Administration plans to form yearly salary contracts with a dollar standard in the future. The university’s main office is examining plans to supplement losses due to the exchange rate for those currently employed, but it has been revealed that they are very concerned about the burden of providing 500 million to 600 million won in funding for compensation of foreign currency exchange-related losses. At a minimum in the range of 80 million won, the annual salary for foreign professors is around two times the starting salary for a Korean professor at a national university, which averages 45 million won.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Most viewed articles