Hongik University

Infobox_University
name = Hongik University


motto = Pro Hominum Beneficio
established = 1946
type =
president= Lee Myon-Young
city = Seoul
state =
country = South Korea
undergrad =
postgrad =
postgrad_label =
staff=
campus =
free_label =
free =
colors =
website= [http://www.hongik.ac.kr/english_neo/ www.hongik.ac.kr] Infobox Korean name
title=Korean name
hangul=홍익대학교
hanja=弘益大學校
rr=Hong-ik Daehakgyo
mr=Hong'ik Taehakkyo
tablewidth=277

Hongik University, usually known as "Hongdae" for short, is a private university in central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus in Jochiwon, Chungcheongnam-do. Hongik University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs. The school is best known for its faculty of Fine Arts, arguably the most famed school of Fine Arts and Design in the country. As of 2007, 14,500 undergraduate students and 2,600 graduate students were enrolled at the university. The university serves as a metonym for the Hongdae area.

Location

The school is located close to Sangsu Station on Line 6 of the Metropolitan Subway and Hongik University Station on Line 2 of the Metropolitan Subway. Day and night, the local area - also known as "Hongdae" - teems with people frequenting its multifarious bars, clubs and restaurants. The area is also famous for its indie music scene.

History

Hongik University opened in 1946, though there is a dispute as to who the actual founders were. [ko icon [http://www.hongiklove.com/ Information about the founding controversy] ] By 1950, the school had expanded steadily to accommodate departments in law, liberal arts, political science, and science. The school was forced to move to Daejeon and Busan during the Korean War. Upon its return to Seoul in 1953, the university continued its growth. However in 1961, the school was forced to become a Fine Arts-only institution until 1971 when the school attained a new status after merging with Soo-Do Engineering College. It was also in 1971 that the Graduate School of Industrial Arts was founded.

In keeping pace with the growing student enrollment, a program of physical expansion was pursued. The Liberal Arts Building and the Computer Center were completed in 1983 and 1985, respectively, and the construction of the Gymnasium was completed at the end of 1985. Also, two student dormitories were constructed: the first one, a six-story building of 122 square meters, was built in 1988, and the other, a six-story building of 263 square meters with two underground floors, was built in 1989. In the same year, the auditorium, which had been damaged by a fire, was remodeled, resulting in a three-story building of 282 square meters. The year 1989 also saw the opening of a second campus at Jochiwon, Chungcheongnam-do.

On April 23, 1988, the first phase of construction, including the lecture buildings, gymnasium, auditorium, and dormitories started. Also, sports facilities for baseball, soccer, and tennis were added. All these efforts culminated into 11 buildings as of March, 1991.Further expansion took place from 1991 to 1994, with more departments and colleges being added to the University. To list a few of the changes, the Department of Radio Science & Communication Engineering was established in the College of Engineering at the Seoul campus. The College of Industrial Sciences at the second campus was divided into the College of Science and Technology and the College of Visual Arts (now renamed the College of Design and Arts), where the latter included the Department of Industrial Crafts and the Department of Advertisement Design. The College of Business Management was also added during this period. In 2004, the Graduate School of Film & Design Media and the International Design school for Advanced Studies(IDAS) were established

ee also

*Education in South Korea
*Love Land sculpture park, with art created by graduates of Hongik University
*Roh Hong-cheol
*Kyung Sun Shin

Notes

References

* [http://www.hongik.ac.kr/english_neo/sub1/history.html Official history from Hongik University's website]

External links

* [http://www.hongik.ac.kr/ Official website]
* [http://dmoz.org/Reference/Education/Colleges_and_Universities/Asia/South_Korea/Hongik_University/ Open Directory Listing]
* [http://www.idas.ac.kr/ Internation Design School for Advanced Studies]