Yeungnam Academy board pledges full support for university's next leap forward

The board of directors of Yeungnam Academy, the school foundation overseeing Yeungnam University, said it has confirmed the university's development achievements and will actively support its next phase of growth while encouraging the efforts of its community members.

According to Yeungnam University, Yeungnam Academy held a board meeting Wednesday at the main administration building on the university's Gyeongsan campus.

Board Chair Han Jae-suk attended along with directors Kim Jin-sam, Kim Heung-dae, Lee In-ho, Choi Kyung-hwan and Choi Oe-chul, as well as auditors Kim Young-hye and Lee Seong-su.

Board meetings are typically held at the foundation's own offices, making Wednesday's on-campus session only the second time the board has convened at the Yeungnam University campus since May 2014.

The board members toured major campus facilities, the library and government-funded project centers, taking stock of the university's operations and listening to voices from the educational front lines.

Before the board meeting, university administrators presented the "YU-AX Education Innovation Plan" and a plan for events marking the university's 80th anniversary next year.

The directors praised the efforts of faculty, staff and students in strengthening the university's competitiveness despite difficult conditions, including a shrinking school-age population, the concentration of resources in the Greater Seoul area and a prolonged freeze on tuition fees.

Yeungnam University achieved a 100 percent freshman enrollment rate for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026, ranked first among private universities nationwide in external funding for two consecutive years, topped the country in total student scholarships, and placed fourth in the world in the "Visionary Leadership" category of the 2026 World's Universities with Real Impact ranking.

"I am deeply grateful to all members of our community who have driven remarkable progress under difficult circumstances," Board Chair Han Jae-suk said. "The foundation's board will pool its strength so that those efforts can bear even greater fruit, and we will actively back the university's leap forward."

The board said that in connection with next year's 80th anniversary events, the university should reflect on the founding spirit of its founder, former President Park Chung-hee, and carry it forward through the cultivation of future talent and contributions to society.

The board also discussed establishing an award tentatively called the "Park Chung-hee Saemaul Prize" to promote the values of the Saemaul Undong, or New Village Movement.

"This is a critical time when universities must prepare for the future of their students amid the great AI transformation," Yeungnam University President Choi Oe-chul said. "We will take the opinions shared at the board meeting as a foundation for the university's development and put them into practice together with our community."