Dear students, faculty and staff, alumni and citizens sending unwavering support to our school,

I am Park Sang-Gue, the 16th President of Chung-Ang University. I was looking forward to seeing you in person to extend my gratitude and share my new vision, but as you may well know, the country is going through a difficult time, so please understand that I am sending video greetings.

I feel a deep sense of responsibility as I know what it means to be the president of a university with more than 100 years of history.

I am here today thinking about the dreams and hard work of my predecessors and colleagues who have dedicated themselves to the ambition of nurturing bright young minds from the day the foundation of Chung-Ang University was laid 100 years ago to now.

Despite all difficulties, CAU has produced 300,000 graduates who have served as the driving force of Korea’s remarkable growth. This has been possible thanks to the efforts made by former chairmen of the University Board and CAU Presidents as well as Presidents of the alumni association who have continuously showed love for our dear alma mater.

When research efforts were suppressed, our professors showed an unwavering determination to foster our research capability. Their insights have been a guiding light on our path ahead.
To my eyes, the sweat shed by our hard-working staff members for outstanding university administration to create the best environment for research and learning looks like tear drops.

Most of all, my heart pounds when I think about great dreams and anticipations of our accepted and current students who will spread their wings here at Chung-Ang University. And now, I have just embarked on my journey with you.

Dear all CAU members,

Truth and justice have been the two core values that have underpinned Chung-Ang University since its foundation. You can be proud to be one of the CAU members pursuing the spirit of truth and justice, which will be part of our proud legacy that “the light of truth and justice starts from CAU.”
From the very first day I stepped on campus in Heukseok in 1979, to the day I boarded a plane heading to the United States for my Ph.D. degree, to the day I was appointed as professor at Chung-Ang University and to this very moment I am talking to you, I have thought about my dream university that I want to build on our campus.

A university where everyone strives for justice and truth; a university where anyone can dream about anything they want; a university where culture and art flourish; and a university where everyone is full of ambition and not afraid of challenge.

I want to call it the “Dream of Chung-Ang.” Just like water that flows from streams to rivers and to the ocean, my dream is to let the spirit of “truth and justice” flow through the river of the “Dream of Chung-Ang” to go beyond the great ocean where this “grand journey” ends. I just took the first step of this journey as President.

I believe in the power of ambition, a great motivator that guides us to go further. This is my vision I pursue as President under the current circumstances. I am sure that this big-picture vision will become a reality thanks to the efforts of our detail-oriented faculty and staff members working hard day and night.

There was a time when going to a prestigious university and landing a high-paying job was regarded as success. However, we should realize that what “success” really means is “growth.”

Defining success by college degrees and well-paying jobs is no longer viable in the upcoming era of artificial intelligence. Instead of focusing solely on short-term growth, which could be learning on campus, we need to pursue life-long growth. I want all CAU members to take part in building “a university where its members grow together.” We need to share a belief that not only students, faculty and staff, but also the local community, the country and the whole world should grow together.

If we can create a system where we make a positive impact on each other, we will be able to show the world a model of “a university where its members grow together.”

Honorable CAU members and citizens who love Chung-Ang University,

Most of the achievements made by universities are designed to predict the future. We need to look ahead to the next 10 years when our students will start their career. It is obvious that AI will be crucial part of our daily lives.

We are already witnessing a great transformation in our society made by AI robots for unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning and transfer learning.

Advances in Artificial Intelligence and humanoid robots will bring about an unprecedented paradigm shift. That is why universities in Korea should implement an AI-based education system as soon as possible.

To address problems in human society and contribute to its prosperity, Chung-Ang University will develop an AI-based education and research system that integrates all academic disciplines with AI in a short period of time.

Honorable CAU members,

You may all agree that life is full of ups and downs. And now, universities are faced with numerous daunting challenges: declining school-age populations, deteriorating financial conditions due to tuition freeze, heightened global competition, widespread introduction of online education methods, universities failing to keep up with changes in society such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a reality where the barriers between disciplines have to be lowered due to convergence of academic fields.

I don’t think all these problems will be addressed during my term. Maybe I could be frustrated by a daunting reality while carrying out my duties as President. However, I promise I will never give up. I believe you will give me the courage to overcome all the obstacles and find a way out more easily and quickly. I believe in the “power of the Chung-Ang family.”

We all know that temporary measures are no longer effective. I am well aware of how difficult it would be to build a sustainable system that helps us grow together. However, it will be possible if we think the “growth of our university” as “our own growth.”

Dear CAU members who will walk together to the future!

Going forward, I would like to ask you to lead change in Chung-Ang University. I will be the biggest supporter of your passion. Just like flints that make a fire and give of light, I will sacrifice myself to make CAU the light of the world. I will devote all my experience and abilities for you just as coal burns itself to keep you warm.

Thank you for taking time out of busy schedule to listen to my greetings. I wish you and your family the best of luck and health.

Dr. Sang-Gue ParkPresident, Chung-Ang University
March 2020