Departments and units that achieved the best performance at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) during 2011 were selected, and an awards ceremony was held on February 22 at 5:00 PM.

Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) selected outstanding departments to strengthen external competitiveness and modernize departmental management. Among 94 departments, eight from the science and medical fields, five from the humanities and social sciences, and one from the arts and physical education departments were chosen as outstanding departments and were presented with commemorative plaques and a total of KRW 130 million in prize money.

In addition, through the 'BSC performance management' conducted across 41 units including headquarters divisions, colleges, and affiliated institutions, three headquarters divisions, three colleges, two affiliated institutions, and one unit recognized for outstanding improvement were selected and awarded.

In this departmental evaluation, three areas—education, research, and internationalization—and nine indicators were closely assessed. In the science and medical fields, 15 departments, including the Department of Polymer -Nano Science &Technology, were selected as outstanding departments. Excluding those departments designated as specialized outstanding departments, the units receiving awards included the Division of Biotechnology, Division of Electronic Engineering, Department of Housing Environmental Design, Department of Bioenvironmental Chemistry, Department of Statistics, Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Forest Environmental Science, and Department of Veterinary Medicine.

In the humanities and social sciences, the Department of Psychology, Department of Social Welfare, Department of Agricultural Economics, Department of Child Studies, and Department of Business Administration received awards. In the arts and physical education fields, the Department of Korean Music received an outstanding department commendation.

The Department of Polymer -Nano Science &Technology, which ranked first overall in the departmental evaluation, stood out in research. It ranked second among all departments in both full-time faculty research output and external research funding secured, marking its status as a traditionally excellent department.

The Department of Psychology, which ranked first in the humanities and social sciences, recorded a 70% graduate employment rate and received high marks in comparisons with other universities. The Department of Korean Music, which ranked first in the arts and physical education fields, was also evaluated as highly competitive.

In the outstanding units awards, the Division of Research Support, Division of Industry-University Cooperation, and Division of University Development from the University Headquarters received commendations. The Medical School, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and College of Natural Science were recognized among the colleges. The Information and Computing Center and the Central Library received awards among affiliated institutions. The Division of Facilities was selected as the unit showing the greatest improvement compared with the previous year.

The Division of Research Support, which received the highest evaluation among headquarters divisions, achieved 100% on seven of the 11 evaluation indicators and improved its ranking by five places compared with the previous year.

The Medical School, which ranked first among colleges, achieved 100% on seven of 12 indicators and was highly rated in particular for raising more than KRW 400 million in development funds.

The Information and Computing Center, which ranked first among affiliated institutions, recorded 100% achievement on as many as 10 of 12 evaluation indicators and improved its ranking by 10 places compared with the previous year.

This departmental evaluation was notable for shifting the focus from internal and research-performance-centered metrics to comparative indicators with other universities, thereby enhancing the evaluation's credibility. In addition, JBNU is continuously seeking to strengthen the competitiveness of its divisions and units by assessing 571 detailed indicators through the BSC performance management system according to difficulty and target levels.

President Seo Geoseok said, "This evaluation is intended to review the competitiveness of our university's departments and units in comparison with all universities nationwide, and to explore development measures for how they build competitiveness," adding, "We will continue to consolidate our capabilities so that the entire university can enhance competitiveness through constructive competition by maintaining ongoing evaluations and expanding incentives."