Chung-Ang University
Chung-Ang University is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. The university operates two campuses, with its main campus located in the Dongjak District, of the city, and an additional campus in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. CAU consists of 16 undergraduate colleges and 16 graduate schools.
Founded as a church-run kindergarten in 1916, it transformed into a school for female kindergarten teachers in 1922. CAU was granted university status in 1953. The university held its centennial anniversary in 2018. It has more than 33,600 undergraduate students, 5,200 graduate students, 700 professors, and 500 more part-time teaching staff. The symbol of the university is a blue dragon.
History
Establishment
The history of the Chung-Ang University began with the establishment of the Chung-Ang Kindergarten, as an annex to the Chung-Ang Methodist Church located in Insa-dong, Seoul.The kindergarten was originally founded as a branch of the Jungdong Church in 1916. The kindergarten was separated in April 1918.
Adversity
The institute established a teacher training program. Graduates were posted in cities across Korea, such Hamhung, Hweryung, Busan, Masan, Jeonju, among others. Thus, the Chung-Ang Kindergarten teacher training program took on the role of a professional educational institution.In 1922, the program, in partnership with the Community Education Movement of various Japanese resistance organizations, was promoted to a kindergarten teacher training school. However, its official legal status remained as a miscellaneous school.
The institute continued to face obstacles in management. With just ten students, the school was forced to relocate to a private residence in 1932 due to financial and personal circumstances of the management.
In 1933, Louise Yim took over the institute's leadership and was appointed as the principal. Her savings of 30,000 dollars earned from farming, truck driving, and vegetable wholesale operation in U.S. were used to purchase a site at Heukseok-dong, where a school was built. Under Yim, Chung-Ang grew significantly.
Despite its relocation to Heukseok-dong, the Chung-Ang teacher training school lacked facilities. Thus, Yim rented the Pearson Bible School to host classes. However, due to Yim's personal financial troubles, alongside the Japanese prohibiting contributions, the development of the school continued to face financial difficulties. Believing that the only solution was to raise funds from the United States, Yim worked to promote donations in the country. As a result, she was able to return home, now able to financially support the school.
With this, the school's first stone building was erected on the grounds in April 1937, which later became the Young-Shin Hall upon its completion in May 1938. Students subsequently founded the Chosun Kindergarten Education Society, and hosted concerts, plays, and literary activities.
In 1937, the Japanese Empire waged war against China. In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, which began the Pacific War against the United States. Chung-Ang was heavily targeted as Yim was educated in the United States and was a Christian. By the end of WW2, under pressure from Japanese forces, the school was no longer able to admit new students, and it was subsequently closed in 1944.
Construction and official recognition
Following the defeat of Japan and the liberation of Korea, Yim reopened Chung-Ang, on 28 September 1945.In October of the same year, the Chung-Ang Teacher Training School was re-organized under the name of the Chung-Ang Professional School for Women.
In April 1947, the school was again reorganised into the Chung-Ang College for Women, and then to the Chung-Ang College in May 1948, establishing itself as a co-educational institution.
While Yim served as a national diplomat in the United Nations, she continued her efforts in developing the college and was appointed dean and chairman of the board.
Though the college celebrated its first conferment of a bachelor's degree in May 1950, it was again closed indefinitely due to the outbreak of the Korean War. The school's management and students fled to Busan, where a temporary office was established. The Chung-Ang College continued its education in its temporary Busan center, during the duration of the war. The college was officially granted university status in February 1953. Yim was then appointed as chancellor of the university.
Following the declaration of ceasefire in July 1953, the university's management and teaching faculty returned to the original site in Heukseok-dong, Seoul. However, lectures continued to be taught in temporary buildings as the site was occupied by the U.S. Army. The site was eventually recovered in April 1954.
The university continued to expand. By 1959, it encompassed 19 educational departments under four faculties, with a student population of over 2,000. Concurrently, the university established the International Culture Research Institute, in an effort to enhance research activities.
Expansion
In 1960, CAU students protested against the March 1960 South Korean presidential election. CAU was appointed Sung-Hee Yim as its second chancellor on 2 October 1961, before being re-elected as the third chancellor.In 1965, the university, and its subsidiaries and affiliated schools, underwent a significant reorganization, in an effort to develop a unified education under the CAU name, from kindergarten to graduation. In 1968, the university was reorganized once again into the eight component faculties. CAU celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1968. Chull Soon Yim became the university's fourth chancellor. Louise Yim died on 17 February 1977.
In March 1980, amidst another expansion, lecture halls, dormitories, and a students' union in Anseong, formulating the Anseong campus.
Following the end of his term as the fourth chancellor in May 1980, Chull Soon Yim was succeeded by the professor of philosophy, Suk-Hee Lee, as the fifth chancellor. Significant improvements and modernizations were made to the facilities of the Seoul and Anseong campuses.
Recent history
Bum Hoon Park was inaugurated as the 12th university president in February 2005. His first major responsibility was overseeing the evaluation conducted by the Korean Council for University Education, along with initiatives involving capital marketing, the BK21 project, the establishment of the Professional Graduate School of Law, and other national programs.Following the restructuring of undergraduate programs, the university conducted a comprehensive review of new student admissions, current student registration, financial status, and overall management of its three professional schools and 11 specialized schools. The goal was to identify areas for improvement and enhance the quality of education. Consequently, 32 out of 42 faculty members from the professional and specialized schools were reassigned to the general graduate school, and 10 positions were eliminated. The reassigned faculty formed the core of a newly established Research Priority Group.
The development plan known as DRAGON 2018, initiated under the 11th president to guide the university toward its centennial vision, was rebranded as CAU2018+. CAU2018+ included detailed valuation indices for various sectors and outlined projected revenue sources. The plan was executed in two phases to achieve its strategic goals.
During the first four years of Park's presidency, significant investments were made in educational and research infrastructure. In February 2007, the nation's largest Law Hall was completed. A master plan was also developed for constructing the Pharmacy and Natural Sciences R&D Centers near the main entrance of Campus 1, and an Engineering R&D Center adjacent to the gymnasium.
In November 2007, the university obtained approval from Hanam-si for the development of a tertiary campus in Hanam. The site, formerly Camp Colbern, a U.S. Army installation spanning 86,000 pyeong, was to be redeveloped for academic use, with dedicated teams organized by subject area.
244 full-time teaching staff were recruited between 2005 and 2009. In the first semester of 2009, 25 full-time and part-time staff were recruited. Law and Medical Schools were established in March 2009.
Between 2005 and 2009, the university secured KRW 40 billion in development funds, KRW 166.3 billion in external research grants, and KRW 17.3 billion in government funding. The total, KRW 223.6 billion, represents the largest amount of financial support in the university's history.
In May 2008, the Doosan Group, a global corporation, was incorporated as the university's educational foundation, and Yong-Sung Park was elected as the ninth chairman of the board. Chairman Park, who led Doosan's transition from consumer goods to heavy industry, symbolized a new era for the university. Within 80 days of his appointment, he met with faculty on August 27, 2008, to present the CAU2018+ Mid-Term Development Plans and a new strategic direction, summarized as "Choice and Concentration, Strengthening Executive Capability, and Establishing a Virtuous Cycle Structure."
The direct election system for the university presidency was abolished and replaced with an appointment system. Consequently, President Park was reappointed as the 13th president, serving consecutive terms.
As of February 2009, Chung-Ang University had developed into a comprehensive institution comprising one general graduate school, five professional graduate schools, 11 specialized graduate schools, and 18 modularized colleges across campuses in Seoul and Anseong. The university had conferred a total of 147,196 bachelor's degrees, 29,940 master's degrees, and 4,275 doctoral degrees.
In March 2014, Chung-Ang University began accepting competitive video game players into its Department of Sport Science, reflecting a broader embrace of emerging disciplines.