UNIVERSITY
SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
Fostering Leaders with a Community-oriented Mindset
Faced by an uncertain future due to rapid technological advancement and changes in the global environment, Yonsei University recognizes the sustainable development of humanity as a key goal. To this end, Yonsei has established various institutions, including the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment (IGEE) and the Institute for Higher Education Innovation (IHEI), to provide programs and activities that will help resolve social issues.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, IGEE, Yonsei University Health System (YUHS), and Graduate School of Public Health have jointly organized the E-GEEF Series - a webinar series that shares knowledge on Korea’s successful experience with quarantine management and the outstanding treatment system offered by YUHS.
READ MOREUniversities today must engage in social problems,
in addition to performing their traditional roles of
education and research. Sustainable coexistence and
dedication, along with the universities’ rich academic
expertise, are urgently in need for a sustainable future
for mankind. As Honorary Chairman of Yonsei University’s
Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment,
I will do my utmost to direct the resources and
capabilities of the university to cultivate global citizens
who practice social inclusion. I will also encourage
cooperation between individuals, communities,
countries, and the global community as a whole.
Former Honorary Chairman, Institute for Global Engagement
and Empowerment (IGEE)
Institute for Higher Education Innovation (IHEI), Providing Hands-on Training Centered on Problem Solving
The Institute for Higher Education Innovation was established to foster future-oriented talent who can understand the challenges of those in need and proactively address the social issues that they face. It implements an on-site training curriculum and extracurricular activities that build students’ social innovation capacity. As of the spring semester, 2023, a total of 32,648 students took part in 982 social innovation capacity-building courses, and 5,415 students were affiliated with 1,013 Workstation teams.
Social innovation capacity-building classes, which teach liberal arts and focus on resolving social issues, are open to all students, including graduate students. Going beyond lecture halls, students can think about social issues in real life on local and global levels and develop the skills needed to resolve them. In addition to the curriculum, students can freely organize Workstation teams to address the social issues they care about. The Institute for Higher Education Innovation provides financial and academic support to these Workstations. By integrating missionary work and volunteer activities that used to be operated separately by different organizations within the university, Center for Social Engagement conducts activities more systematically and efficiently. Domestic programs include Yonsei Hope Expedition and Dream Start Mentoring for Teenagers, and overseas programs include Global OT2 (One Team, One Task) and the Vietnam Hope Expedition.
Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment (IGEE), Fostering Global Citizens
The Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment was founded in 2017 under the leadership of Honorary Chairman Ban Ki-moon, the 8th UN Secretary-General, to leverage the intellectual and human resources of universities to contribute in resolving major global issues. Since then, IGEE has hosted the Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development (GEEF), developed a network of domestic and international institutions for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and undertaken diverse training and volunteer activities to cultivate global citizens.
The 5th Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development (GEEF 2023) in 2023 under the theme of “Turning Point: from Crisis into Opportunity” ended successfully with 1,000 registrations around the world. The event looked back on the past half of the time since the UN's 2015 Sustainable Development Goals and discussed future implementation measures to achieve the goals that run through 2030. With more than 120 experts in sustainable development around the world, the forum consists of two special sessions, four main sessions, and 14 professional sessions covering various topics such as women's leadership, smart city, digital health, and the future of higher education.
GEEF 2023
Yonsei University Health System (YUHS), Empowering people through treatment beyond borders
The Yonsei University Health System provides financial support to patients in need and runs various programs that help patients readjust to society after treatment by providing holistic care. Ongoing medical service-based social projects include the Severance 1% Sharing Movement, which donate 1% of faculty’s earnings in the spirit of sharing and loving; the Good Samaritan SOS Project, which assists emergency patients in social blind spots; Global Severance, Global Charity, which invites and treats foreign patients who cannot receive treatment due to financial issues or limitations in local medical technology; and Severance-KT Dreamer Class, which provides rehabilitation sessions for children and youth with hearing impairments.
Founded on the spirit of Christianity, Yonsei University Health System has become a prominent hospital on the global stage and focuses on empowering people through education and mission work. Started in 1993 through a partnership with the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, YUHS grants the Avison International Scholarship each year to a clinician from a medically disadvantaged country for training. As of 2020, over 270 clinicians from 26 countries have received training through this program. In 2018, Project Avison 10x10 was launched, allowing 10 medical students from medically disadvantaged countries each year for 10 years to receive advanced training over three separate sessions to help them become professors. Furthermore, the Yonsei Global Health Leadership Course is offered to students in Mongolia, Vietnam, and South Korea, and various mission projects are conducted, including medical mission training for medical, dental, and nursing school students.