Many professors in Kyonggi University pay affectionate attention to the school and students, and try to help us. Above all, professor Kim Han-soo, who works in the Department of Management, gives us a lot of attention and is famous among students. Especially, he provided a lot of advice when there were accounting problems related to student union fees last year, and he has worked to protect and develop students’ rights. The Pharos asks the thoughts of this professor, who has paid a lot of attention to students, to find out what he wants for students.

Please introduce yourself.

Hello, I’m Professor Kim Han-soo, and I work in the Department of Management. I came here in March 2003 and I teach accounting. Before that I worked at an accounting firm.

Do you have any special reason for paying attention to the problems in our school and students’ development?

In the case of our university, we don’t receive much money from our foundation. Thus, professors’ salaries come almost entirely from students’ tuition. That’s why I have worked hard. Also, it’s rewarding to have my organization do well. Above all, about students’ problems, they are all my students, and I hope my students will do well, so I try to be a good professor.

What do you think about our students’ strong point and weak point?

The strong point is most of our students are faithful and have upright personalities. Also, the faith between professors and students is sturdy. If professors lead them appropriately, students follow them well. The weak point is our students interact less, relatively, with other schools’ students. Our students need to see how other schools’ students study and design their futures. Also, students have a very weak attitude toward development and do not challenge themselves enough. They seem to be afraid of failure, so they only pursue conventional things. Try to be bolder! If you fail at something, it will be a foundation for other work you will do.

Tell me about an experience with students that has made you proud.

I’m really proud when a student is successful in achieving what he or she dreams of doing with my help. Recently, one student entered a major company through a presentation screening. When he made PPTs and practiced his presentation, a lot of professors including me helped him. He entered the company, as an intern and now he has become a regular member. In particular, I'm proud of the sentence “Now, I have a dream with your help.” In conclusion, I’m proud to help students find and realize their dreams as a professor.

There’s a lot of controversy over the disclosure of student union fees. What do you think about this situation?

It is a problem not to reveal student union fees. The issue probably arose because they were poorly organized when students asked them to disclose their usage records. Also, a receipt that shouldn’t be used in business practice, the socalled “stationary receipt,” might be included if you look at the records. The Student Council seems not to want to make student union fee details public because of disbursements that are not relevant to the council’s purpose, but I think it’s a small sum. Therefore, even if that is a consideration, the details should be scanned and released. The reason why the students who paid the student union fees are concerned is that as stakeholders, they are entitled to see if the council used the student fees properly. However, through this controversy, I feel that the Student Council and college Student Councils are making efforts to decide how to deal with and disclose student fees.

Do you want each Student Council to be transparent about the use of student fees?

Students can’t go to the school and talk directly when they have complaints or requirements. Therefore, I think that’s why the Student Council exists. Its purpose is to protect students’ rights like a union, and if the Student Council is to work smoothly, there must be student union fees. You have to do your duty if you want the council to operate properly, but lots of students don’t pay their fees. Do your duty first, and then you can criticize after you have turned over your authority to the Student Council. In addition, with regard to the Student Council, I want them to use the budget more appropriately. They should think creatively about what projects students want after gathering student’s opinions, and put money into those projects. Thus, I suggest that they announce the projects that they’re going to do when the budget is set this time, and use the budget for student-approved activities.

Last, please say something to the students at Kyonggi University!

I think our students start late and prepare in a hurry. Most of the students set their goals in their junior years and because of that, they’re less prepared for the future. The result is that they achieve less than they thought they would. I think they need to set their goals quickly and have a lot of relevant experiences. Moreover, another problem is that many students set goals that are too small compared to their abilities. They usually underestimate themselves and set small goals compared to their abilities to reduce the chances of failure. When you raise fish, the size of the fish is partly determined by the location. The smaller the fishbowl (dream) you have, the less the fish will grow. Therefore, I hope students will have the courage to have a big dream and to do it early.

Through an interview with Professor Kim Han-soo, who has been concerned about the issue of the proper use of student union fees, we could feel that he really cares for students and has a sense of duty as a professor. In addition, it was very gratifying to see him use his major to help students grow and develop the school. There are quite a few students who are not interested in whatever happens in the school. The Pharos hopes you will reflect on your efforts and work actively.

                                                 Management Editor•CHOI SOYEON•clara3003@naver.com

                                               72nd Cub Reporter•NAM GAHYUN•gahyunnam@naver.com