Samyook University is strengthening its commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management through smart farms, student-participatory social contribution projects, and internal audit systems.
In October last year, at the 116th anniversary ceremony of its founding, Samyook University announced its ‘ESG Management Strategy’ and began full-scale ESG implementation.
The university presented three strategic directions and 30 action tasks across three major areas: eco-friendliness, realization of social value, and transparent and ethical responsible management, supporting these with various projects.
In the eco-friendly area, the university operates the school enterprise SU-AgRI, conducting advanced agricultural education and plant cultivation businesses based on the urban-type smart farm (plant factory) Eco Farm Center. The Eco Farm Center was jointly established in 2013 by Samyook University, the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, and Nowon-gu.
Since last year, it has also been jointly conducting research on urban smart farms using fuel cells with the smart farm specialist company Avocado. The plan is to propose the potential of smart farms utilizing fuel cells and to establish smart farm education programs based on the metaverse and VR.
SU-AgRI recently launched an educational brand called Green Ground. It plans to offer programs such as smart farm education, green education, and garden design education targeting children and adolescents.
Alongside this, Samyook University is also conducting social contribution projects involving student participation. The ‘Samyook Village Project’ is a business where students directly develop care services to solve local community problems and list them on a platform to match with beneficiaries in the community. Last year, 103 students developed 11 care services and provided services to 150 people.
To strengthen responsible management, Samyook University has also enhanced its internal audit system. It has established an independent internal audit office directly under the president, which analyzes and evaluates whether university management and budget planning and execution are operated according to objectives and systems. The goal is to institutionalize the disclosure of audit results and their reflection in operations.
Kim Ilmok, president of Samyook University, said, “For 117 years since its founding, we have contributed to brightening the world by nurturing servants of truth and love who possess intelligence, spirituality, and physical strength in balance. ESG management, a contemporary issue, aligns with our university’s educational philosophy in this regard.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
