Professor Young-jun Park, New Associate Dean for Planning &Coordination
On July 27, 2025, Professor Byungcheol Kang took office as the 29th Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), ushering in changes to key administrative posts as well. In this article, we spoke with Professor Young-jun Park of the Department of Biosystems & Biomaterials Science and Engineering, who began serving as Associate Dean for Planning & Coordination (Director, Planning & Coordination Office) on July 27, 2025, about the office’s work.
1. We would like to know what led you to take on the role of Director of the Planning & Coordination Office.
I previously served in roles such as department chair, but this is the first time I have taken on a major administrative role in a large organization like CALS. I have long been interested in how our college is structured and operated, and I wanted to learn more about it. When the newly appointed Dean Kang offered me the position, I considered it a good opportunity and decided to accept the role.
2. What are the main responsibilities of the Planning & Coordination Office?
One of the major responsibilities of the Planning Office is managing university spaces. To efficiently use our limited research and teaching spaces, we plan remodeling and new construction projects. Since the college’s research and teaching spaces fall short of demand, this is an issue that must be addressed throughout my term.
Currently, we are planning to remodel Building 15 on the Suwon Campus and convert it into a three-story space for industry-academia cooperation. We are also working on converting the vinyl greenhouse behind Building 200 into a glass greenhouse. In addition, we oversee projects related to the free transfer of experimental forests and arboretums associated with the college. Recently, the free transfer of the Gwanak Arboretum was also handled by our office. We plan to continue pursuing the transfer of the remaining forests and arboretums that have not yet been reassigned.
3. We heard that the Planning & Coordination Office also manages the College Development Fund.
That’s correct. The College Development Fund is run through donations from contributors, and the funds are used for scholarships, research, construction, and other projects that support the college’s development. Until now, most donors have contributed primarily for tuition support. Recently, however, we have been working to expand donations that can be used for various purposes such as internships, research, and construction. Managing and promoting the development fund is also one of our major tasks. In connection with this, we have recently been meeting with alumni and professionals in related industries to introduce and promote the College Development Fund.
4. As Director, is it challenging to balance administrative duties with your responsibilities in research and teaching?
Like other associate deans, the heavy schedule of meetings and events inevitably affects my research and teaching at times. In terms of teaching, there are occasions when essential administrative schedules overlap with class time, and in those cases, I replace the class with an online or recorded lecture. For research, I now have less time to discuss theses and research projects with students, so we moved our lab meeting time to Saturdays. Since this is a position I chose to take on, I feel very sorry toward my undergraduate and graduate students. Even so, I am doing my best to minimize any inconvenience to them.
5. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to the students of CALS?
Since taking on scholarship-related duties, I’ve noticed that although more students are receiving scholarships than before, their sense of gratitude seems to have declined. We once held an event inviting donors, but student participation was low, which made planning difficult. Donors make valuable contributions for their juniors and for the advancement of agricultural science and industry in Korea. I hope students will maintain a grateful attitude toward scholarships. If they have the opportunity to meet or contact donors, I hope they will warmly express their appreciation.