Professor Choi Kyung-hee elected as new president

Choi Kyung-hee, a professor of the Department of Science Education, was elected the 15th president of Ewha Womans University on April 24. She is the youngest to be elected among inaugurated presidents since 1979.
The nomination for presidency this year was different from the last time, for there were a few changes made in the qualification criteria. In previous years, president eligibility was restricted to female candidates; however, modified regulations were implemented this year, allowing male candidates this year.
The council for selecting the next term president was held during the morning of April 24.
In this council, four nominees came forward for the presidency: professor Park Dong-sook (Media Studies), professor Yang Ok-kyung (Social Welfare), professor Jhon Gil-ja (Chemistry & Nano science) and professor Choi Kyung-hee (Science Education).
The president nominee recommendation committee recommended three of the four nominated candidates, and among them, Choi was elected as president.Choi graduated from Ewha Womans University in 1985 as a Science Education major, and went on to acquire a master’s degree in Physics Education in 1987. She went further in pursuing academic achievements and set off abroad, acquiring another master’s degree in Physics Education from Temple University in 1991, and a Ph. D in Science Education in 1994.
After attaining these scholarly achievements, Choi returned to Korea in 1994 and began working as a professor in Ewha Womans University’s Department of Education. Currently dean of the College of Education, she previously worked as a presidential secretary for education affairs from 2006 to 2008. Choi also successively filled various important posts in many societies, including the Korean Association for Learner-Centered Curriculum and Installation. In response to the election, the 46th Student Government Association (SGA), Synergy Ewha, delivered its official stance toward the election.
“We congratulate professor Choi Kyung-Hee on her election as the 15th president of Ewha Womans University and hope she leads the school with virtue for the next four years,” announced Synergy Ewha. “However, we deplore the fact that the process of the election was not transparent. We also hope for her participation in the public interview with the current Ewha president Kim Sun-uk regarding our 10 demand plans.”
Some students proposed what they are expecting from the new president. “As a student majoring in Natural Science, I always felt sad about the small size of the College of Natural Science compared to the College of Liberal Arts,” Kim Su-yeon (Molecule & Life Sciences, 1) said. “since the next president is a professor of Science Education, I am hoping for the expansion of the department.”
Ewha Womans University’s current president Kim Sun-uk’s presidential tenure expires this July, and the presidency will be handed on to professor Choi on August 1. Since the term of presidency lasts for four years, Choi will remain in her position from August 2014 to July 2018.