'For Another Leap Forward'

Over the past 70 years, the College of Engineering at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (Dean Song Cheol-gyu), which has served as the foundation for engineering development in the Jeonbuk region and as a driving force for regional innovation and development, celebrated its 70th anniversary this year with a commemorative ceremony and reaffirmed its commitment to advance and grow beyond the region and the Republic of Korea into the global arena.

The official ceremony, held at the New Silk Road Center on November 18 at 10:30 a.m., was attended in person or via video by Kim Dong-won, President of JBNU; Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education; Song Ha-jin, Governor of North Jeolla Province; Park Ji-hyun, President of Korea Electrical Safety Corporation; Jung Young-taek, President of the General Alumni Association; Kim Hak-yong, President of the College of Engineering Alumni Association; Lee Kwang-hyung, President of KAIST; and Lee Woo-il, President of the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies, who all offered congratulations on the 70th anniversary.

The ceremony began with an opening declaration by Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Seo Hyung-gi. This was followed by an introduction to the College of Engineering's history and a progress report on the 70th anniversary projects by Vice Dean for Planning Park Jae-byung, a welcome address by Dean Song Cheol-gyu, and congratulatory remarks from internal and external guests including President Kim Dong-won of JBNU.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary, the College established an alumni award honoring individuals who have brought distinction to the college. Seventeen alumni were selected, and commemorative plaques of appreciation were presented to KD Engineering Co., Ltd. Chairman Kim Jong-won (Architecture, Class of 1970) and Professor Emeritus Nam Ki-seok (Chemical Engineering, Class of 1971) as representatives.

At the end of the ceremony, Professor Chae Su-chan, who served as a member of the National Assembly and as Vice President of KAIST, delivered a keynote lecture on the theme "Technological Innovation, Industrial Innovation, Social Innovation," reflecting on the meaning of the College of Engineering's 70 years and offering plans for the future.

In addition to the ceremony, the College hosted a two-day symposium to mark the 70th anniversary. The symposium reviewed past quantitative and qualitative developments and proposed future directions under three themes: bio, future mobility, and convergence. As the keynote speaker, Professor Kim Hee-chan of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University College of Medicine, delivered a lecture titled "The Past, Present, and Future of Biomedical Engineering — The Convergence of Engineering, Medicine, and Life Sciences."

Moreover, each session featured passionate presentations by many invited experts from government, industry, and academia, followed by audience questions, which further enriched the College of Engineering's 70th anniversary events.

Dean Song Cheol-gyu stated, "Over the past 70 years, JBNU's College of Engineering has pursued scholarship, research, education, and a variety of international exchange activities with the goal of supporting national industrial development, leading the cultivation of creative engineering talent. We have achieved remarkable academic outcomes, including ranking first among national flagship universities in Engineering & Technology in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for two consecutive years (2020, 2021). We will strive to become a College of Engineering that makes another leap forward on the world stage beyond the 70th anniversary."

Meanwhile, the College of Engineering at JBNU, which opened its doors in 1951 as the first approved College of Engineering in the Honam region, began with four departments and 640 students and has since produced some 44,600 bachelor's-degree alumni. The college has driven development across various industrial sectors in North Jeolla Province and continues to evolve into a university of international standing.

The College is currently planning a master plan for projects totaling approximately KRW 100 billion. In particular, the KRW 80 billion new construction and remodeling of the College of Engineering main building is designed as a clover-shaped configuration connecting four masses. The four leaves, symbolizing the start of good fortune, represent engineering, creativity, convergence, and global significance. The project is expected to provide Korea's highest level of educational services and an outstanding research environment for faculty.