Opening of 2017 New Year Congratulatory Ceremony and Kick-off Ceremony
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2017-02-03
on January 2, our university held the 2017 New Year Congratulatory Ceremony in front of the Second Foundation Campus’ Renaissance Plaza.
The New Year Congratulatory Ceremony is an event for the university members to greet each other and look back on the past year of Sookmyung to move forward in the year 2017 (the year of red chicken). More than 200 enthusiastic professors and staff members gathered in the plaza to greet each other and share words of blessing. President Jungai Kang and representative key members such as vice president of Alumni Association, president of Emergency Response Committee, President of Staff Union, and newly appointed president of Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) especially came onto the stage and greeted the members.
At the first New Year address since her appointment, President Jungai Kang emphasized that the national women’s private school Sookmyung will become “people’s university of public interest.” President Kang said, “This year is a meaningful year celebrating the 111th anniversary of Sookmyung and 120th anniversary of the Korean Empire” and “Sookmyung will advance into a university for the regional and civil society by becoming global Sookmyung with future values based on the past 110 years of history and tradition.”
After the New Year address, the banner unveiling ceremony was held. With the loud shouts from the faculty, the large banner with New Year greetings unfolded on the wall of the Renaissance Plaza wall. The faculty applauded as they saw the 111th anniversary logo and a snow flake in a beautiful Korean traditional dress. As the last event, the prize winner of the Wonderful Sookmyung Card event was announced. Wonderful Sookmyung Card is an event which the team leader and team members of the administrative departments, department professors and assistant professors, and research members can convey their feelings that they couldn’t express to each other through cards. And with more than 100 messages, it created a warm New Year atmosphere.
On the other hand, this New Year Congratulatory Ceremony was very special in terms of breaking various past customs. First, the location of the ceremony was changed from the old Centennial Hall’s Samsung Convention Center to the outdoor plaza and was progressed without seats to allow people to stand and move around freely. With the reduction of the entire event to just 15 minutes, the ceremonial aspects were also cut down such as the commemorative message, concert, and congratulatory entertainment. Instead, after the New Year Congratulatory Ceremony, the faculty used the previously handed out meal tickets to have tteokguk (rice-cake soup) and greet each other at the faculty cafeteria and Godsender restaurant. In the afternoon, President Kang personally visited each administrative department and encouraged the staff. This action followed President Kang’s proposal that emphasizes practicality rather than protocol and formality. The officials of the General & Personnel Management Services said, “We focused on reducing overall costs while strengthening the internal stability of the event to allow the members to spend a meaningful New Year ceremony together.”