Solicitude upon solicitude
The KU Professors’ Scholarship Foundation, Seokrimhoe, and the KU Staff Scholarship Foundation recently held scholarship awards ceremonies for the 2019 spring semester
▲ Young-min Yoon, the president of Seokrimhoe, (third row, seventh from right) and ceremony participants pose for a commemorative photograph at the Seokrimhoe scholarship awards ceremony for the 2019 spring semester.
At the beginning of the new spring semester, both professors and staff from KU held scholarship awards ceremonies.
Ⅰ. Professors’ solicitude for students
On Thursday, March 7 at 5 PM, Seokrimhoe, a scholarship foundation comprised of KU professors, held a scholarship awards ceremony at Korea University’s Centennial Memorial Samsung Hall for the 2019 spring semester.
During the ceremony, Seokrimhoe awarded approximately KRW 106.8 million to the 52 students selected as recipients.
Seokrimhoe, a scholarship foundation established in 1970 by KU professors with the aim of fostering younger students, now has more than 900 professors as participating members. It is KU’s largest scholarship foundation, awarding scholarships of between KRW 2 million and KRW 5 million per student to an average of 100 students per year.
After careful deliberation and consideration, the professors from the steering committees at each college, the deans of colleges, and the members of the Academic Affairs Department select scholarship recipients from among exemplary students who excel in academic performance despite challenging circumstances.
In his speech to the recipients, Jin Taek Chung, the president of Korea University, said, “I hope you appreciate Seokrimhoe’s meaningful scholarships, which are grounded in the professors’ generosity toward their students. I also hope that this experience will help you study harder and grow to be more giving and generous. Please remember the precious intention of these Seokrimhoe scholarships, and dedicate yourselves to various university experiences.”
Young-min Yoon, the president of Seokrimhoe, also expressed his thoughts by saying, “Seokrimhoe is KU’s time-honored scholarship foundation established through the professors’ affection for their students. As members of Seokrimhoe, we are proud that we have provided support for our students’ growth. We hope that you can pursue your studies without financial difficulties and ultimately grow to be competent citizens who contribute to society so that hopefully you will give back to others someday. Even though today’s young people are living through hardships, please don’t give up and keep in mind that we, your professors, and Korea University, are here to support you.”
Student representative, Yoon-hwan Kwon, (’14, College of Global Business) expressed his impressions by saying, “Affluence might make the life easier, but that does not mean it is the only important value. The hardships in my life have taught me to feel grateful for life and for people. On the path toward realizing our dreams, we sometimes stumble, but we always get back up again, and that’s how we feel the joy of moving forward. At each moment of having a dream, planning for it, and pursuing it, we can feel happiness. I might not be as affluent as others, but I am still happy that I can follow my dreams. It would not be easy for me to help others at this very moment, but someday I will surely be the one who can support other people’s dreams. Remembering Seokrimhoe’s spirit, I will strive to contribute to create a virtuous cycle of helping KU’s younger students who experience difficulty pursuing their studies due to financial circumstances.”
▲ Jeong-chul Lee, the president of the Staff Scholarship Foundation, (second from left) and ceremony participants pose for a commemorative photograph at the KU staff scholarship awards ceremony.
Ⅱ. Staffs’ solicitude for students
Meanwhile, on Thursday March 7 at 5 PM, the KU Staff Scholarship Foundation held its 59th scholarship awards ceremony in the Main Hall. During the ceremony, KRW 12 million was awarded to six students.
The KU Staff Scholarship Foundation is comprised of 342 KU staff members, who donate a certain amount of money each month. Every semester, five to six outstanding students who have been selected as scholarship recipients by each college, receive a scholarship equivalent to 50% of their tuition.
In his speech to the scholarship recipients, Jeong-chul Lee, the president of the Staff Scholarship Foundation, and the administrative director of the Office of Development & External Affairs, said, “Even though it is not a massive amount of money, it has been created by the caring hearts of many KU staff members. So I sincerely hope that it will help you concentrate further on your studies. You are all talented individuals who can be the leaders of our society, so please also grow to be warm-hearted leaders who give back to those in need.”
Moon-gi Seo (’13, College of Nursing) expressed his gratitude by saying, “I am grateful for the generosity of the KU staff. I will strive to share this love with younger students in KU in the future.”
Marking its 30th anniversary in 2019, the KU Staff Scholarship Foundation has awarded scholarships to a total of 217 students. The Foundation will continue to increase funding so that more students can benefit from the program.