Starting next presidential election, male candidates are also eligible to become the president of Ewha Womans University. Eligibility was previously limited only to female candidates.This is the first time that the rule has been reformed since establishment of Ewha Hak-dang, 128 years ago. Ewha Hak-dang is an educational institution that grew into the school today.Ewha decided to modify the eligibility rule during a university board meeting on Dec. 30 2013 on academic affairs. This change will apply to candidates in the 15th presidential election.The school will form a president nominee recommendation committee in March, consisting of seven corporate members and 23 professor representatives. A ballot of the preliminary candidates will make a decision on the final three nominees through a poll until April 25.The polling rate is not open to public. The final three nominees are recommended to the board which will elect the next president. President Kim Sun-uk’s term will officially end in late July this year.Prior to the decision about the regulation, the university collected opinion on presidential qualifications from professors of each college and graduate school from last November until the December meeting.“Removing the limit on the gender of president nominees is desirable since it is advisable to have male involved when making female related policies,” said a professor who wishes to stay anonymous.Through this change, the university now intends to accept suitable individuals for presidential candidates regardless of gender.According to its formal proceedings, the board stipulated that a presidential candidate should be a person with learning, virtue, social leadership and administrative ability, whether inside or outside of the university, who can maintain and develop Ewha’s identity.Ewha has long remained the sole women’s university adhering to the female-only rule on presidential candidates, unlike the other four-year women’s universities in Korea.
