Gyeongsang National University

Coordinates: 35°9′14.6″N 128°5′53.1″E / 35.154056°N 128.098083°E / 35.154056; 128.098083

Gyeongsang National University (GNU, 경상대학교) is a national university governed under the ministry of education of Republic of Korea government and located in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province and represents the South Gyeongsang Province of South Korea as one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities along with Cheju National University, Chonbuk National University, Chonnam National University, Chungnam National University, Chungbuk National University, Kangwon National University, Kyungpook National University, Pusan National University, and Seoul National University.

Gyoengsang National University has twelve colleges such as arts, social science, natural science, engineering, agriculture and life science, management, veterinary, education, nursing, and medicine and eight graduate schools such as medicine and public health, business administration, education, aerospace, industry etc. Other institutions with the university are the university library, university museum, student center, university newspaper, broadcasting center, publishing company, institute for education of science talented, Korean language cultural center and so on. The current statistics of Gyeongsang National University shows that it has 1,681 academic staffs including 808 full-time professors, 361 administrative staffs and 24,502 students including undergraduate and graduate students enrolled. The university has three campuses and two of these are located in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province and the other is located in Tongyeong. The main campus is located at Gajwa-Dong in the city of Jinju, Chilam campus, Jinju has the college of medicine, and Tongyeong campus, an hour from Jinju by car, has the college of Marine Science.

The motto of Gyeongsang National University(GNU) is Pioneer, and it states that the eyes of pioneers see far beyond the present to the future. The history of the university begun as Jinju Agricultural College founded in Jinju in 1948, then, accredited as national college in 1968 and in 1972, renamed as Gyeongsang National College. In 1980, the college was accredited as a national university by the ministry of education and renamed as Gyeongsang National University. For more than 60 years since its foundation, Gyeongsang National University has been educating talented students who have served not only for local community but also for national prosperity by leading them to be bigger asset in many places such as communities, industries, businesses and around the country and the world.

Gyeongsang National University is well known for many achievements in applied life science along with biochemistry, agricultural science, and veterinary. One of these is that the researchers at the university discovered a way to make cloned Turkish Angora cats glow red when exposed to ultraviolet light in 2007^[1] and many alumni in these fields are working as researchers and professionals in research institutions and universities around the world. In present, the university has made its highly competitive fields of study broad to mechanical and aerospace systems engineering and new nano-materials engineering. In addition, Gyeongsang National University has made achievements in humanities and in sociology, two fields which lay the foundation for human ethics. Beside this, Gyeongsang National University is proud to have the college of Education in where great middle school teachers are educated to take responsibility for education of Republic of Korea, the college of Veterinary Medicine in where international veterinarians are trained, and the College of Marine Science to pioneer the studies of the ocean in the twenty-first century. The university keeps moving on to provide advanced international education in Republic of Korea by successfully partnering in international campuses in Incheon^[2] as well as Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zones.

The Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health at Gyeongsang National University is a unique medical training and research institution in South Gyeongsang Province. Gyeongsang National University Hospital was open with 419 beds in 1987 as the university hospital of Gyeongsang National University and is located next to the college of medicine in Chilam campus and has provided health care service with quality for more than 25 years and grown to a general and multispecialty medical hospital with 950 beds operating with specialty centers such as the local cancer center opened as the first local cancer center of its kinds in the country and rheumatoid arthritis center. Gyeongsang National University Hospital at Changwon is newly open as the second Gyeongsang National University hospital in February, 2016. The university hospital at Changwon has begun with 208 beds and is going to grow according to the number of patients hospitalized.

Overview of GNU's past and present

• October 20, 1948: Founded as Jinju Agricultural College by the provincial government of South Gyeongsang
• July 11, 1972: Accredited as Gyeongsang National College
• March 1, 1975: Established the graduate school
• March 1, 1980: Accredited as Gyeongsang National University by the government of Republic of Korea
• March 1, 1983: Established the College of Medicine
• February 21, 1987: Inaugurated the Gyeongsang National University Hospital
• March 1, 1988: Established the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
• March 1, 1989: Established the College of Veterinary Medicine
• March 1, 1993: Established the College of Business Administration
• March 1, 1995: Established the College of Marine Science by merging the Tong-Yeong Junior College of Fisheries
• March 1, 1996: Established the Graduate School of Industry
• March 1, 2010: Graduate School of Public Health established
• December 16, 2011 : Dr. Kwon Soon Ki appointed 9th President
• March 1, 2014: GNU has 10 Graduate Schools, 12 colleges, 3 Divisions (5 majors) and 87 Departments, with a total of 3,252 new Students every year

Campus

Gyeongsang National University has four campuses. Two campuses are located in Jinju, one campus in Tongyeong, and one campus in Changwon. Gajwa campuse is located in Gajwa-dong, Jinju close to the junction of Tongyeong–Daejeon Expressway and Namhae Expressway, Chilam campus is located in Chilam-dong right next to Nam River, Tongyeong campus is located in Inpyeong-dong, Tongyeong, and Changwon campus is located in Uichang-gu, Changwon.

Aerial view of Gajwa campus

Gajwa Campus

Gajwa campus is the main campus of Gyeongsang national university. Most buildings and facilities of the university including the university headquarter, the student center, the main library, the stadium, dormitories, and buildings for the colleges of Arts, Social Science, Law, Education, Business Administration, Natural Science, Agriculture and Life Science, Engineering, Veterinary, and graduate schools are located in the campus. The area of Gajwa campus is more than 1,300,000㎡, and buildings numbered are more than sixty . The address is 63, Gajwa-gil 29beon-gil, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, 660-701.

Aerial view of Chilam campus

Chilam Campus

The graduate school of medicine, which is one and only national graduate school of medicine in South Gyeongsang province, the college of nursing, the graduate school of public health, and the graduate school of food and drug are located in chilam campus. The gyeongsang national university hospital, unique facility for training of medical students and nurses, are also located in the campus. The area of the campus is 103,000㎡, and buildings such as dormitory, student center, and the medical library, are located.

Aerial view of Tongyeong campus

Academics

Graduate Schools of Professional Studies

• Graduate School of Medicine - The GNU Graduate School of Medicine, as a flagship university, offers medical education at the professional level, with an infrastructure designed to develop medical expertise and relationship skills.
• Graduate School of Business - The Graduate School of Business aims to develop skilled business professionals who are ready to take a leading role in the era of globalization. The School offers an ideal environment for scientific research on business strategies, for graduates to boost their competitiveness in relevant fields.
• Graduate School of Education - The mission of the Graduate School of Education, consisting of 31 departments, is to produce leading educators with a sense of educational mission, professionalism and creativity, under sound educational tenets.
• Graduate School of Convergence Science & Technology - The Graduate School of Convergence Science & Technology was established to develop leading professionals in industrial technology. At present, Master’s degrees are offered in 29 majors from nine departments (evening classes only). Two contract departments and a non-degree course for advanced industrial management are also available.
• Graduate School of Public Administration - Developing professional contributors to national and regional development is the main objective of the Graduate School of Public Administration. The School also provides continuing education to people who currently hold positions in government administration, and a non-degree course for advanced administration management.
• Graduate School of Aerospace Specialization - The Graduate School of Aerospace Specialization was established through collaboration among Gyeongsang National University, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, and Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd., to develop technology and human capital in the national aerospace field.
• Graduate School of Public Health
• Graduate School of Food & Medicine

School of Language Education and International Programs

• International Exchange Programs Gyeongsang National University has international exchange programs and partner universities with many universities and institutions around the world. In Asia, 49 universities in Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are affiliated with the university, and Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Osaka University, and University of Tokyo are some of 17 universities in Japan. In America, 18 universities including University of North Carolina, Purdue University, University of Washington, and University of Wisconsin–Madison in the u.s. and Canada are affiliated with the university. Especially, Gyeongsang National University has joint PhD. programs with Purdue University^[3] and University of Missouri^[4] and has research labs operated at Purdue University and the Scripps Research Institute in the u.s. Gyeongsang National University has sent graduate students and professors to conduct research in biomedical and applied life science jointly with the universities and research institute. In Europe, the universities in England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Uzbekistan, including Leipzig University in Germany and Moscow State University in Russia are affiliated with Gyeongsang National University and the university has joint symposiums with Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Germany.

GNU Affiliated Institutions

A night at the dormitory

• Dormitory The dormitory is operated aiming at developing a true pioneer by means of discipline and systematic community life under the precept of "Love, Intelligence and Creation." It was renamed from "Dormitory" to "Residence Halls" on June 1, 2004 to create it as rather a cultural living space than just a simple meaning of providing accommodation and food. Expanded to BTL dormitory, from March 1, 2009 residence Halls accommodate 3,254 students in 10 buildings and do best to promote students' academic endeavor in such a cozy and convenient environment like their home. In addition, residence halls suppliy quality meals and are equipped with cinema room, lounge, etc., for leisure, including a newly built fitness center with health club, billiard club and table tennis club.

Research Institute

University Presidents

1. Dr. Hyun-cheon Shin, March 1980 - 1987
2. Dr. Jeong-han Lee, March 1987 – 1991
3. Dr. Young-ho Bin, March 1991 – 1999
4. Dr. Choong-saeng Park, March 1999 – 2003
5. Dr. Moo-je Cho, December 2003 - 2007
6. Dr. Woo-song Ha, December 2007 - 2011
7. Dr. Soon-kee Kwon, December 2011 – 2016
8. Dr. Sang-Kyoung Lee, June 2016 - Present

Notable People, Faculty, and Alumni

• Kim, Su-Jung (김수정), comic artist, the creator of comic and animation, Dooly the Little Dinosaur, and the products
• Park, Hong-Soo (박홍수), politician, former minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• Baek, Hyo-Hum (백효음), businessman, former president of China Hyundae Motor company
• Suh, Doo Chil (서두칠), businessman, former CEO of Hankuk Electric Glass, Co
• Yoo Ye-bin (유예빈), Miss Korea 2013,^[5] undergraduate student majoring in textiles as of 2013.
• Cho, Moo Je (조무제), professor, president of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
• Choi, Young Tae (최영태), businessman, founder and CEO of Nadri, Inc.
• Ha, Jin-Hong (하진홍), businessman, former CEO of Jinro
• Huh, Tae-Hak (허태학), businessman, former CEO of Samsung Everland and Hotel Shilla of Samsung.

References

External links

• Official site of Gyeongsang National University (In English)
• Official site of Gyeongsang National University (In Korean)
• Office of International and External Cooperation (OIEC)
• Gyeongsang National University Library (In English)
• The Pioneer Magazine