Sungkyunkwan University
成均館大學校
성균관대학교[1]
Motto
Motto in English
Humanity, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom[2]
TypePrivate
Established1398 (1398). Reformed as a modern school in 1895. Given college status in 1946.[3]
AffiliationConfucianism
PresidentYoo Ji-Beom
Academic staff
3,704 (1,525 full-time)[4]
Students34,441[5]
Undergraduates25,049
Postgraduates9,392
Location
Seoul (Humanities and Social Sciences Campus), Suwon (Natural Sciences Campus)
,
South Korea

37°35′14″N 126°59′39″E / 37.58722°N 126.99417°E / 37.58722; 126.99417
CampusUrban
Colors  Blue
  Lime Green
  Orange
  Dark Green
MascotGinkgo
Websitewww.skku.edu
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSeonggyungwan Daehakgyo
McCune–ReischauerSŏnggyun’gwan Taehakkyo

Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or Seongdae, Korean: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private research university with campuses in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea.

The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan founded in 1398 in central Seoul.[6] As the foremost educational institution during the Joseon period, it was governed by the great code of the state administration[7] with royal assent.[8] By a resolution of the Confucian scholars, it was restructured as a comprehensive university in the mid-20th century, and has since greatly expanded its academic offerings.

History

Myeongnyundang (明倫堂)
600th Anniversary Building

Sungkyunkwan was established in 1398 and became the most prestigious educational institution in Joseon. Its name means "to make" (성; 成; seong), "harmonious society" (균; 均; gyun), "institute" (관; 館; gwan).[9]

The school focused on in-depth study of the Chinese classics, Confucian canon, and contemporary literature; and on how to apply knowledge to governing the nation and to understanding the nature of humanity. It also served as a shrine (see Munmyo) to Confucian sages, and rituals were held regularly to honor them and their teachings.

The school was located within the city walls of Hanseong (modern-day Seoul), Korea's capital during the Joseon Dynasty. It followed the example of the Goryeo-period Gukjagam, which in its latter years was also known by the name "Sungkyunkwan".

Numerous Korean historical figures, including Yi Hwang and Yi I, studied at and graduated from Sungkyunkwan. A considerable amount of Korean literature and works of Hanja calligraphy were created and archived by Sungkyunkwan scholars over the centuries.

The history of Sungkyunkwan University can be divided into the ancient university, modern university, and contemporary university eras.

Ancient University Era (1398–1894)

During the ancient university era, traditional Confucian education was practiced.

From the establishment of Sungkyunkwan during the reign of King Taejo to the time of King Seongjong, buildings were constructed, systems were established, operating policies were effected, and the school was cemented as the top national educational center.

A long period of recession followed, from 1495 to 1724, that is, from the time of Yeonsangun to that of Gyeongjong. During this period, due to the tyranny of Yeonsangun, Sungkyunkwan was reduced to a place to hold feasts. Though it was restored to its original status under King Jungjong, during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), Sungkyunkwan was burnt down and rebuilt.

A period of revival followed, from 1725 to 1894, that is, from the reign of King Yeongjo to the time of Gabo Reform. Education at Sungkyunkwan became lively amid political and academic revival, and reformation of the education system was actively developed by Silhak scholars.

Modern University Era (1895–1945)

A period of enlightenment followed, that is, from Sungkyunkwan's founding as a modern university (1895) to the Japanese annexation of Korea (1910). In 1895, a three-year department of Chinese classics (경학과; 經學科; gyeonghakkwa) was established, and various courses such as history, geography, and mathematics were taught. At the same time, a professor appointment system, admission examination system, and graduation examination system were implemented; a semester system was introduced; and modern institutional reforms such as setting the number of teaching days per year and the number of lecture hours per week were effected. Under Japanese occupation (1910–1945), however, Sungkyunkwan lost its position as the highest school in Joseon.

Contemporary University Era (1945–Present)

On 15 August 1945, the Japanese Empire was defeated. In November of the same year, Kim Chang-sook led a foundation that revived Sungkyunkwan as an educational center.[10] Sungkyunkwan University was thus re-established by collecting some of the property of the hyanggyo and donations from Confucian scholars.

Partnership with Samsung

Samsung partnered with SKKU from 1965 to 1977, and renewed this partnership in 1996. The university claims that this has helped it to pursue globalization and to foster talented graduates.[11] The partnership has boosted research infrastructure and human resource management, and it has helped the university to develop courses in software development, mobile communications engineering, energy engineering, nanotechnology, business, medicine, and law.[12]

Through the Samsung Global Scholarship Program, 15–25 students are selected annually for Seoul National University's engineering program or to enroll at SKKU's Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB), which partners with top business schools abroad, including the MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia University, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business, Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, and the Singapore Management University.[13]

Rankings and reputation

University rankings
QS National[14] General 3
QS Asia
(Asian Ranking version)[15]		 General 36
THE Asia[16] General 10
THE World[17] General 170
QS World[18] General 99

According to the ranking of South Korean universities annually published by the national daily newspaper JoongAng Daily, Sungkyunkwan University is ranked third in South Korea after Seoul National University and Yonsei University.[19] For several years, U.S. News & World Report ranked Sungkyunkwan University second in the country.[20]

In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university rankings (2023), SKKU is ranked 99th globally, and 36th in Asia.[21] In the Times Higher Education 2023 world university rankings, SKKU is ranked 170th internationally.[22]

In the Financial Times rankings, SKK GSB's MBA ranks 82nd worldwide, 15th in Asia, and first in Korea.[23]

Campuses and transport

Humanities and Social Sciences Campus (Seoul)

The university's Humanities and Social Sciences Campus, also housing arts departments, is in central Seoul on the same hill as Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung (two of the royal palaces of Joseon). The 1,394,154 m2 campus lies in Myeongnyun-dong, near Daehangno. The nearest subway station is Hyehwa on Line 4, and the university operates shuttle buses between the station and the campus.

Bicheondang and 600th Anniversary Hall
Shuttle buses outside the Student Center

Natural Sciences Campus (Suwon)

The Natural Sciences Campus, housing natural science, engineering, medicine, and sports departments, is within walking distance of Sungkyunkwan University Station in Yuljeon-dong, northwest Suwon. The 101-hectare campus, 45 km south of Seoul, was established in 1978. At 2,199,187 m2, it is more spacious than the campus in Seoul, so sports facilities and a botanical garden are located on this campus.

Symbols

SKKU's motto is "Humanity, Righteousness, Propriety, and Wisdom" (인의예지; 仁義禮智), and reflects the basic spirit of Confucianism.[24]

The university's symbol—the ginkgo leaf—is derived from the giant ginkgo trees (Natural Monument No. 59) at Myeongnyundang. Both trees are male, and thus do not bear fruit. They are believed to have been planted circa 1519 by Yun Tak, a former chief scholar of Sungkyunkwan.[25]

An old ginkgo tree at Sungkyunkwan

Student housing and dormitories

The university has several on-campus dormitories. The Humanities and Social Sciences campus in Seoul has ten dormitories and housing facilities, namely C-house, E-house, G-house, I-house, K-house, M-house, Crownville A, Crownville C, LWG House, and Victory House, while the Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon has five dormitories, namely In-Kwan, Ui-Kwan, Ye-Kwan, Shin-Kwan and Ji-Kwan.[26] The entrances are secured with automatic RFID key-tag doors to ensure that only residents can enter.

Rooms

The dormitories house male and female students, separated by floor.[26] There is a variety of room types (single rooms, two-person rooms, four-person suites), with availability depending on need, fee, and academic results. All the rooms are furnished, and have an air-conditioner and free WiFi. Special single rooms are reserved for disabled students in Shin-kwan.

Two-people room in E House

Research

The university spends heavily on research and development, mostly sponsored by Samsung, Hyundai, and government agencies. Notable researchers include Clarivate Citation Laureate Park Nam-Gyu (2017),[27] and physics professor Lee Young-hee, director of the Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics in the Institute for Basic Science. Both scientists frequently publish in Nature.[28]

Sungkyunkwan Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology

Sungkyunkwan Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology

Sungkyunkwan Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT) was founded on 1 March 2005 as one of the four core programs of Sungkyunkwan University's VISION2010+ plan to be ranked in the top 100 universities in the world. With financial support from Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, it aims to become one of the world's top five nanotechnology institutes. The current director of SAINT is Sungjoo Lee.[29]

N-Center

N-center

The N-Center houses the Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics in the Institute for Basic Science, led by physics Professor Lee Young-hee,[30] and the Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), led by Prof. Seong-Gi Kim.[31]

School of Medicine

Students from the School of Medicine train at Samsung Medical Center's hospitals, and many students on campus are first-year undergraduates and postgraduate students.

International programs

Over 10 % of the university's undergraduates are international students. There were over 2,700 international students enrolled at SKKU in 2013, and each year more than 2,000 Korean students from SKKU go abroad. SKKU maintains partnerships with over 653 universities in over 73 countries, and has agreements with 21 overseas institutions to offer dual-degree programs.[32]

Facilities

Libraries

In 1946, with the re-establishment of the university, Jongyeonggak, Bicheondang and Myeongnyundang were used as libraries until a new library was built. Another library opened on the Natural Sciences Campus in 1979, and a Library of Medicine was established in 1998. In 1999, the Law Library opened, and in 2000, Jongyeonggak was newly established. Samsung Library was built in 2009, and the Central Library was refurbished in 2011.[33] In total, SKKU's libraries hold more than 2.15 million books—the ninth largest collection of books in university libraries in South Korea.

Samsung Library

Built in 2009,[33] this library, alongside typical library functions, houses a digital media room where students can watch movies, and a sleeping arena.[34]

Learning Factory

SKKU Learning Factory is a student facility at the Natural Sciences campus where creative ideas can be made physically as prototype products using 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC router, and Arduino. The center was established by the Fusion Based Creative Informatics Human Resources Development Team.[35]

Sports facilities

Operating under the College of Sports Science, there are several student sports clubs including a baseball club, floor ball club, tennis club, basketball club, soccer club, volleyball club, and cricket club.[36] There is a full-size soccer field, basketball court, tennis courts, athletics track, and baseball fields on the Natural Sciences Campus.

Notable alumni

Politics, diplomacy and public service

Sports

Entertainment

Song Joong-ki

Historical figures

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sungkyunkwan University.

References

  1. ↑ Abbreviations of Sungkyunkwan University in Korean: 성대(成大; Seongdae). English: SKKU
  2. ↑ "교시/건학이념" (in Korean). Sungkyunkwan University. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  3. ↑ "History". University of Sungkyunkwan. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  4. ↑ "대학소개>대학현황>현황" (in Korean). Sungkyunkwan University. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  5. ↑ 대학소개>대학현황>현황
  6. ↑ SKKU Official Brochure 2013
  7. ↑ Gyeongguk Daejeon, the great code
  8. ↑ Sungkyunkwan in the code of Gyeongguk Daejeon
  9. ↑ "성균관대학교 대학정보 성대역사 / 상징 성대 623년 약사 현대 대학시대". www.skku.edu (in Korean). Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Simsan Kim Chang-suk". www.skku.edu. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  11. ↑ Archived 2014-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Global leading programs with Samsung
  12. ↑ "Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) – Our Organizing Partner". QS-APPLE. Archived from the original on 2014-03-13. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "Why SKK GSB?". SKKU. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  14. ↑ "QS University Rankings 2023". Top Universities. 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  15. ↑ "QS Asian University Rankings". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings". Times Higher Education. 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  17. ↑ "THE World University Rankings". Times Higher Education. 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  18. ↑ "QS World University Rankings". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  19. ↑ "SNU keeps top slot in university rankings for 7th year". Korea JoongAng Daily. 12 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Search U.S. News Best Global Universities".
  21. ↑ "QS World University Rankings 2023: Top global universities". 12 April 2023.
  22. ↑ "World University Rankings 2023". 12 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "MBA 2023". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  24. ↑ "Overview". SKKU. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  25. ↑ "University Arbor". SKKU. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  26. 1 2 "SKKU BONGRYONG HAKSA". dorm.skku.edu.
  27. ↑ "The 2017 Clarivate Citation Laureates - Clarivate".
  28. ↑ "Always ahead of its time - Nature Index Supplements - Nature Index". www.natureindex.com.
  29. ↑ "Message from the Head of SAINT". SKKU. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  30. ↑ "Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics". Institute for Basic Science. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  31. ↑ "Director". Institute for Basic Science. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  32. ↑ Oh, Kyu-wook (9 October 2013). "SKKU on path to become top global university". Korea Herald. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  33. 1 2 "History". SKKU. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  34. ↑ Kelly, Toni (14 April 2012). "Exploring Learning Spaces and Libraries in Asia: Sungkyunkwan University - Samsung Library".
  35. ↑ "Open house for SKKU Creative Fusion Factory, "Learning Factory "publisher=SKKU". Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  36. ↑ "Mireukdang". SKKU. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  37. ↑ "'배구 샛별' 전광인, 성균관대 우승 앞장". www.hani.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  38. ↑ "성균관대 배구 2년만에 정상 탈환". Gyeonggi News (in Korean). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
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