The Vision 2030+ shift
Sogang University, a Jesuit university in Seoul, is reorienting its international strategy. President Sim Jong-hyeok, in his second term, presented Vision 2030+ to the Korea Herald, succeeding the plan from his first term. The latter had focused on building infrastructure: new academic programs, research support systems and facilities for international education, including Loyola International College, a platform dedicated to foreign students. According to Sim, most of the strategic goals of the first plan have been achieved as planned.
The new phase shifts the emphasis from quantity to quality: less expansion of facilities and exchanges, more depth in the student experience, in international research collaborations and in the ability to attract globally competitive scholars. It is a choice about what to preserve and what to develop, and the Korean daily places it in a series dedicated to the global ambitions of the country's universities.
The experience of international students
One of the priority points is the post-arrival period. Sogang intends to involve international students more fully in university life, with relationships with Korean classmates, faculty and alumni. The approach echoes the Jesuit concept of cura personalis, care for the whole person. Sim cites excursions that involve up to a hundred participants; alumni fund cultural and industrial visits and invite small groups of foreign students to lunches and dinners, while internship and employment support programs are being developed for those who want to stay in Korea.
The university is also expanding language support and encouraging participation in clubs and mentoring activities. Loyola International College, where students study mainly in English in fields such as Korean studies, commerce and international relations, global media, economics and business, could in the long term expand into science and engineering. Sogang plans to monitor not only enrollments but also continuation of studies, graduation, participation in university life and transition to postgraduate education or employment: an indicator that shifts the measure of success from recruitment to effective integration.
Research, scholars and cross-cutting AI
On the research front, the first appointment is the Notre Dame-Sogang Conference, scheduled for December 14-17, with an 11-person U.S. delegation, including eight faculty members. The sessions will cover sensors, energy and sustainability, artificial intelligence and materials science, with a short AI course for students and laboratory visits; the signing of an agreement is also expected. The stated goal is to identify researchers capable of working together, then measuring the success of partnerships based on actual collaborations and the resources invested by the institutions.
On the recruitment side, the Magnus Scholar initiative offers research incentives, ample space and reduced teaching load to scholars with international track records; Sim speaks explicitly about the importance of attracting Nobel-level scholars. The university also participates in the government's Brain Pool+ program, which has guaranteed it 3 billion won a year for five years to recruit foreign scientists, and it intends to extend the search for scholars to the humanities and social sciences as well. The Sogang Academy of Global Eminence has been created as a research network hub, and the Saint One Point system to incentivize faculty who produce results. AI is seen as an interdisciplinary glue: the SAIX Peers forum brings together scholars from engineering, science, humanities and social sciences, with regular meetings where research groups are formed. Sogang has been selected for the government's AI-centered university program, with about 3 billion won a year until 2033, and plans 74 AI courses, four advanced tracks and 112 bridge courses to apply AI in different fields.
