In the face of declining school-age populations and financial crises, experts suggest that small universities must integrate university accreditation and innovation support projects into a single operational system to survive. They emphasize the need to avoid one-time achievements and superficial paperwork, advocating for a genuine improvement in institutional quality and sustainable development through the organic connection of these two systems.
On August 19, the '2026 Korea Small University EXPO' was held at the Novella Hall of The Riverside Hotel in Seocho-gu, Seoul, co-hosted by Chugye University of Arts and seven other universities. The event, themed 'AI and IR-Based University Innovation,' brought together university presidents, administrators, and innovation project officials to discuss development directions and survival strategies in depth.
In his opening remarks, Lim Sang-hyuk, President of Chugye University of Arts, stated, "The significance of this expo lies in expanding each university's innovation into our collective innovation. The competitiveness of small universities is determined not by their physical size but by their clear identity, specialization, responsiveness to change, and meticulous support for each student."
In a congratulatory speech, Ahn Se-geun, former head of the Korea Accreditation Institute for Higher Education and a professor emeritus at Konkuk University, noted, "Universities currently face a complex crisis due to declining school-age populations, changes in accreditation systems, the expansion of non-major programs, and the rise of artificial intelligence. It is difficult to achieve sustainable innovation by addressing these issues in isolation at the project or departmental level."
Ahn emphasized, "If AI expands the content and methods of education, IR verifies whether these changes lead to actual student growth based on evidence. University evaluations should not merely rank institutions or categorize them as successes or failures; they should serve as a quality assurance process that checks whether promised education is being delivered and helps improve it."
The keynote address, a highlight of the event, was delivered by Ahn Sang-du, chair of the Certification Operations Committee at the Korea Accreditation Institute for Higher Education. He discussed 'Response Strategies for Small Universities in Accreditation: Focusing on Integration with Innovation Support Projects.'
Ahn addressed the realities faced by small universities, stating, "Small universities are severely understaffed, with one person often handling multiple roles. It is practically impossible to respond individually to the numerous policies the government is rolling out, such as the Anchor (formerly RISE) project, glocal universities, structural optimization, and AI digital transformation."
He warned against negative strategies that merely evade government policies or aim to meet minimum standards. He cautioned, "If universities pursue excessive restructuring or indiscriminate recruitment of international students solely to secure financial support, it will lead to disastrous outcomes that ultimately choke the universities themselves. They must carefully consider strategic suitability aligned with their identity and respond positively and responsibly."
Ahn's key survival strategy centers on establishing an 'integrated operational system.' He highlighted that starting in 2024, the Ministry of Education will require university accreditation as a prerequisite for government financial support. Failure to obtain accreditation could result in the loss of innovation project funding and even students' national scholarships and loans, creating a dire situation.
He explained, "University accreditation is a process that verifies the minimum 'correct standards' to ensure educational quality as a higher education institution, while the innovation support project demands substantial resources to drive real change and requires universities to excel."
Ahn stressed that if these two elements are prepared separately, the workload for staff will double, and documentation will become fragmented between the annual innovation projects and the three- to five-year accreditation evaluations. He urged that achievements and reports generated during innovation projects should seamlessly serve as robust evidence for accreditation within a 'single operational system.'
A response strategy for the newly introduced fourth-cycle accreditation system was also presented. Ahn noted, "In the fourth cycle evaluation, the existing five areas will be completely integrated, assessing social responsibilities and outcomes within the broader framework of university management. The head of the evaluation team will now review the entire university's operations, making fragmented responses by department ineffective."
He proposed a 'mapping' strategy as a practical method for integration. This involves closely linking the 24 evaluation criteria specified in the accreditation manual with the detailed tasks of the innovation support project.
Ahn advised, "The definitions and formulas for the indicators required for accreditation should be used without deviation in the innovation projects, and the information disclosure materials should serve as common raw data to eliminate discrepancies. Any weaknesses identified during the accreditation process should not be neglected but should be set as new innovation tasks, with budgets allocated immediately to create a virtuous cycle of improvement."
He also urged that when evaluation criteria or interpretations are ambiguous, universities should not rely on rumors or practices from other institutions but should seek official clarification from the Korea Accreditation Institute through formal channels like email.
Ahn further emphasized the importance of sustainability in projects and the leadership of university presidents. He expressed concern that in small universities, innovation projects might end up being mere 'projects for the sake of projects' or 'one-time events to exhaust budgets.' He stressed that if meaningful outcomes are achieved, they must be institutionalized through amendments to official regulations, integration into regular organizational structures, and budget planning to ensure continued operation even after government support ends.
He pointed out that in small universities, the role of the president is crucial for the institution's survival. He criticized unilateral leadership, stating, "While it may seem effective in the short term, it ultimately undermines the autonomy of the organization and poses a risk of leading the university to the brink of collapse."
Ahn urged presidents to rationally redistribute personnel and resources to ensure the integrated operational system functions smoothly, continuously question and check the field, and foster a healthy and flexible organizational culture where staff can freely report weaknesses and negative opinions.
In the afternoon session of the Small University Expo, following Ahn's keynote address, programs were conducted to explore practical cooperation and innovation strategies among small universities. Lee Tae-hee, head of the Education Innovation Office at Hanyang University, delivered a lecture titled 'An Invitation to Collaborative Education: Focusing on AI Literacy Education,' assessing the potential for collaborative education among universities.
Subsequently, innovative cases rigorously developed by each university were presented. Notable examples included Ryu Jeong-ho's analysis of educational outcomes for students in free major programs at Incheon Catholic University, Jeong Jae-min's establishment and operation of a university-wide support system for student retention at Chugye University of Arts, and Wi Soo-in's creation of a non-engineering AI education model (DSU AI for ALL) at Daeshin University, which captured the audience's attention.
Additionally, successful formulas from eight small universities were shared, including Calvin University's ESG community engagement project, Yeongnam Theological University's student competency management system (Young Shiny), Jesus University's development and operation of liberal arts courses linked to local institutions, Pyeongtaek University's practical educational innovation model through extracurricular programs (Team up), and Halla University's AI literacy-based future talent development project.
On August 19, the '2026 Korea Small University EXPO' was held at the Novella Hall of The Riverside Hotel in Seocho-gu, Seoul, co-hosted by Chugye University of Arts and seven other universities. The event, themed 'AI and IR-Based University Innovation,' brought together university presidents, administrators, and innovation project officials to discuss development directions and survival strategies in depth.
In his opening remarks, Lim Sang-hyuk, President of Chugye University of Arts, stated, "The significance of this expo lies in expanding each university's innovation into our collective innovation. The competitiveness of small universities is determined not by their physical size but by their clear identity, specialization, responsiveness to change, and meticulous support for each student."
In a congratulatory speech, Ahn Se-geun, former head of the Korea Accreditation Institute for Higher Education and a professor emeritus at Konkuk University, noted, "Universities currently face a complex crisis due to declining school-age populations, changes in accreditation systems, the expansion of non-major programs, and the rise of artificial intelligence. It is difficult to achieve sustainable innovation by addressing these issues in isolation at the project or departmental level."
Ahn emphasized, "If AI expands the content and methods of education, IR verifies whether these changes lead to actual student growth based on evidence. University evaluations should not merely rank institutions or categorize them as successes or failures; they should serve as a quality assurance process that checks whether promised education is being delivered and helps improve it."
The keynote address, a highlight of the event, was delivered by Ahn Sang-du, chair of the Certification Operations Committee at the Korea Accreditation Institute for Higher Education. He discussed 'Response Strategies for Small Universities in Accreditation: Focusing on Integration with Innovation Support Projects.'
Ahn addressed the realities faced by small universities, stating, "Small universities are severely understaffed, with one person often handling multiple roles. It is practically impossible to respond individually to the numerous policies the government is rolling out, such as the Anchor (formerly RISE) project, glocal universities, structural optimization, and AI digital transformation."
He warned against negative strategies that merely evade government policies or aim to meet minimum standards. He cautioned, "If universities pursue excessive restructuring or indiscriminate recruitment of international students solely to secure financial support, it will lead to disastrous outcomes that ultimately choke the universities themselves. They must carefully consider strategic suitability aligned with their identity and respond positively and responsibly."
Ahn's key survival strategy centers on establishing an 'integrated operational system.' He highlighted that starting in 2024, the Ministry of Education will require university accreditation as a prerequisite for government financial support. Failure to obtain accreditation could result in the loss of innovation project funding and even students' national scholarships and loans, creating a dire situation.
He explained, "University accreditation is a process that verifies the minimum 'correct standards' to ensure educational quality as a higher education institution, while the innovation support project demands substantial resources to drive real change and requires universities to excel."
Ahn stressed that if these two elements are prepared separately, the workload for staff will double, and documentation will become fragmented between the annual innovation projects and the three- to five-year accreditation evaluations. He urged that achievements and reports generated during innovation projects should seamlessly serve as robust evidence for accreditation within a 'single operational system.'
A response strategy for the newly introduced fourth-cycle accreditation system was also presented. Ahn noted, "In the fourth cycle evaluation, the existing five areas will be completely integrated, assessing social responsibilities and outcomes within the broader framework of university management. The head of the evaluation team will now review the entire university's operations, making fragmented responses by department ineffective."
He proposed a 'mapping' strategy as a practical method for integration. This involves closely linking the 24 evaluation criteria specified in the accreditation manual with the detailed tasks of the innovation support project.
Ahn advised, "The definitions and formulas for the indicators required for accreditation should be used without deviation in the innovation projects, and the information disclosure materials should serve as common raw data to eliminate discrepancies. Any weaknesses identified during the accreditation process should not be neglected but should be set as new innovation tasks, with budgets allocated immediately to create a virtuous cycle of improvement."
He also urged that when evaluation criteria or interpretations are ambiguous, universities should not rely on rumors or practices from other institutions but should seek official clarification from the Korea Accreditation Institute through formal channels like email.
Ahn further emphasized the importance of sustainability in projects and the leadership of university presidents. He expressed concern that in small universities, innovation projects might end up being mere 'projects for the sake of projects' or 'one-time events to exhaust budgets.' He stressed that if meaningful outcomes are achieved, they must be institutionalized through amendments to official regulations, integration into regular organizational structures, and budget planning to ensure continued operation even after government support ends.
He pointed out that in small universities, the role of the president is crucial for the institution's survival. He criticized unilateral leadership, stating, "While it may seem effective in the short term, it ultimately undermines the autonomy of the organization and poses a risk of leading the university to the brink of collapse."
Ahn urged presidents to rationally redistribute personnel and resources to ensure the integrated operational system functions smoothly, continuously question and check the field, and foster a healthy and flexible organizational culture where staff can freely report weaknesses and negative opinions.
In the afternoon session of the Small University Expo, following Ahn's keynote address, programs were conducted to explore practical cooperation and innovation strategies among small universities. Lee Tae-hee, head of the Education Innovation Office at Hanyang University, delivered a lecture titled 'An Invitation to Collaborative Education: Focusing on AI Literacy Education,' assessing the potential for collaborative education among universities.
Subsequently, innovative cases rigorously developed by each university were presented. Notable examples included Ryu Jeong-ho's analysis of educational outcomes for students in free major programs at Incheon Catholic University, Jeong Jae-min's establishment and operation of a university-wide support system for student retention at Chugye University of Arts, and Wi Soo-in's creation of a non-engineering AI education model (DSU AI for ALL) at Daeshin University, which captured the audience's attention.
Additionally, successful formulas from eight small universities were shared, including Calvin University's ESG community engagement project, Yeongnam Theological University's student competency management system (Young Shiny), Jesus University's development and operation of liberal arts courses linked to local institutions, Pyeongtaek University's practical educational innovation model through extracurricular programs (Team up), and Halla University's AI literacy-based future talent development project.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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