Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon |  Korea Aerospace University held a general faculty meeting on the first day of the second semester and presented six key initiatives for the second half of the year aimed at strengthening the university's competitiveness and building a foundation for future growth.

Korea Aerospace University held the "2nd General Faculty Meeting for the 2026 Academic Year" at 5:00 PM on September 1st in the main auditorium on campus. The meeting proceeded in the order of the presentation of appointment letters to new faculty members, opening remarks by President Hur Hee-young, and work reports from administrative departments.

On this day, six new faculty members, who will begin teaching in the new semester, received their letters of appointment. The newly appointed faculty members are Professor Choi Dong-chan (Space Engineering), Professor Jang Won-geun (Mechanical Engineering), Professor Shin Jeong-ho (Semiconductor Advanced Materials), Professor Byun Hong-soo (Computer Engineering), Professor Kang Su-min (Logistics), and Professor Kang Eun-ho (Aerospace Policy).

To strengthen its educational and research capabilities in the fields of aerospace, advanced industries, and policy, the university has recruited talented individuals with expertise accumulated in academia, research institutions, government, and industry.

In his opening remarks, President Hur Hee-young shared news of the remodeling of the Academic Information Center, which was completed during the summer break, and announced that the opening ceremony for the lounges on the first and second floors of the center will be held on September 3.
He then introduced six key initiatives to be pursued until February 2027, emphasizing that Korea Aerospace University is facing a significant opportunity for the university's development.

President Hur urged the active participation and cooperation of the university community, stating, "Those who are prepared snatch up the goddess of fortune, but those who are unprepared do not even know whether she is coming or going." The first task is to stabilize the Autonomous Major Selection System, which is now in its third year of implementation. President Hur assessed that student satisfaction has increased and the dropout rate among first-year students has significantly decreased since the system was implemented. However, he diagnosed that new challenges have emerged as majors have been subdivided into 17 categories, such as student concentration in certain majors or the appearance of majors with only three or four faculty members.

The university plans to establish a system that can efficiently group faculty members by major and enhance the flexibility of academic operations. Specific improvement measures will be discussed primarily by the colleges and the Office of Academic Affairs.

The second task is to respond to the QS World University Rankings. Due to its specialization in the aerospace field, Korea Aerospace University has not previously placed significant emphasis on world university rankings centered on comprehensive universities. However, moving forward, the university plans to systematically analyze faculty research achievements and domestic and international reputations to prepare for entry into the rankings, focusing on the aerospace sector.

The Office of Planning requested the cooperation of faculty members in compiling a list of domestic and international academic and industrial figures to participate in the QS reputation survey. As QS requires the submission of 400 academic and 400 industry figures, he urged the university to recommend 150 academics and 100 employers by utilizing joint researchers and industry networks within each college.

The third task is to establish Korea Aerospace University's status as a hub for industry-university cooperation in the northern Gyeonggi region. Gyeonggi Province and Goyang Special City have proposed the creation of an aerospace, defense, and drone cluster centered around Korea Aerospace University as a major policy objective.
President Huh emphasized that this year, being early in the terms of local government heads, is the opportune time to concretize cooperation between the university and local governments, and requested active proposals from faculty members to identify relevant projects.

The fourth task is to formulate a business plan for the ‘KAU (Ilsan) Industry-Academic Convergence Center’ to be built in Baekseok-dong, Goyang City. Korea Aerospace University (KAUT) applied for a space with an exclusive area of ​​3,307 square meters (approximately 1,000 pyeong) located on the 2nd to 4th floors of the Baekseok Business Building, owned by Goyang City, as its first priority. The university plans to utilize this space primarily for three sectors: education, research, and entrepreneurship.

In the education sector, it will operate aviation safety training courses and aerospace education programs for the public. In the research sector, it will house faculty laboratories and research institutes, while in the entrepreneurship sector, it will provide spaces to support startups by students and faculty.

Aside from the space directly utilized by the university, it plans to attract aerospace-related companies and research institutes. The Office of External Affairs requested that faculty members actively utilize their industry-academia networks.

The fifth task is the opening of the Jeju Jeongseok Flight Training Center. With Korean Air withdrawing from the operation of the training center, KAUT has taken over the management of the facility, which spans approximately 460,000 pyeong. The university is currently establishing a comprehensive master plan for the operation and development of the training center.

KAUT plans to expand flight training centered on the Jeju Jeongseok Flight Training Center while maintaining its existing flight training infrastructure in Uljin. In particular, the plan is to develop the Jeongseok Flight Training Center into a flight education research and development platform on par with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the U.S. and Cranfield University in the UK by introducing a data-driven education and evaluation system utilizing technologies such as electroencephalography (EEG) and eye-tracking.

The sixth project is the Global Campus to be established at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2. Korea Aerospace University plans to use the Global Campus as a base to expand contract departments linked with industry and develop diverse international education programs. The university is currently conducting detailed consultations with relevant agencies with the goal of opening in early 2027.

Once the Global Campus opens, field-oriented education and international exchanges are expected to be significantly strengthened by leveraging the industrial and educational infrastructure of Incheon International Airport.

The general faculty meeting also included reports on key tasks by administrative departments. The Office of Academic Affairs reported on an amendment to the sabbatical leave regulations that changes the unit for calculating the number of faculty members on sabbatical leave from the existing majors and departments to colleges.

They also provided guidance on a plan to lower the recognition ratio for co-authors in faculty performance evaluations, which will be applied starting with the 2027 results. In addition, they requested stricter management of exams and attendance in response to the proliferation of wearable devices, as well as compliance with the ethical guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in universities published by the Korean Council for University Education last August.

The Office of Research Cooperation announced that it will launch a Shared Equipment Center after the end of October, which will allow for the inquiry, reservation, and use of on-campus research equipment to be processed within a single system.

Furthermore, it explained that to respond to the 2027 National Research Institute project, ‘NRL 2.0,’ the university has devised a plan to establish a ‘National Research Institute for Space Energy’ and formed a strategic task force involving faculty members from various majors.

The university plans to increase the utilization of shared research equipment while simultaneously strengthening its foundation for securing large-scale national research projects in the aerospace sector.
Professor Choi Dong-chan of the Department of Space Engineering obtained his bachelor's and doctoral degrees in industrial engineering from Sungkyunkwan University and served as a senior researcher at the Agency for Defense Development.

Professor Jang Won-geun of the Department of Mechanical Engineering graduated from KAIST with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, received a doctoral degree in hypersonics from the University of Queensland in Australia, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford in the UK. Professor Shin Jeong-ho, a professor of Semiconductor and Advanced Materials, graduated from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Hanyang University and received his Ph.D. from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST. He previously served as an assistant professor at the University of Science and Technology (UST) and as a senior researcher at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).

Professor Byun Hong-soo, a professor of Computer Engineering, obtained his Bachelor's and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Engineering from Sogang University and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the same university.

Professor Kang Su-min, a professor of Logistics, graduated from the Department of Logistics at Korea Aerospace University and received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Tech in the United States. He served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and as a lecturer at Virginia Tech.

Professor Kang Eun-ho, a professor at the Graduate School of Aerospace Policy, graduated from the Department of Public Administration at Yonsei University and received a Master's degree in International Development Policy from Duke University in the United States. He previously served as the Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and as a professor in the Department of Advanced Defense Industry at Jeonbuk National University.

Based on the six key initiatives presented at this general faculty meeting, Korea Aerospace University plans to strengthen its competitiveness as a university specializing in aerospace by simultaneously pursuing innovation in education and research, industry-academia collaboration, and the expansion of regional and global hubs. Photos