Hanyang University (President Lee Ki-jeong) announced that it successfully held the “Hanyang IDEA Symposium 2025: IR, the Compass for University Innovation” on May 20 at the SKT Hall in the Business School Building on the Seoul Campus.

The symposium, organized by the Hanyang IDEA Center—Hanyang University’s dedicated Institutional Research (IR) body—gathered 263 participants from 92 universities and institutions across the country. It served as a platform to underscore the importance of IR as a data-based framework for university policymaking and operations, while exploring its future prospects and practical implementation strategies.

In his welcome address, President Lee Ki-jeong emphasized, “Universities must now go beyond education and research to become strategic institutions that drive innovation and fulfill social responsibility. To do so, a data-driven decision-making system—IR—is essential.”

He added, “IR is a core foundation for strategic thinking that ensures sustainable growth and social accountability for universities. The Hanyang IDEA Center will serve as a key hub for improving Hanyang’s policies and systems, while also promoting close collaboration among universities and leading the expansion of data-based organizational culture in higher education.”

The symposium featured a diverse lineup of speakers from academia, media, and industry who shared insights on the necessity and strategic implementation of IR. Professor Byun Ki-yong of Korea University and president of the Korean Association for Educational Administration opened with congratulatory remarks, followed by Professor Lee Gil-jae of Chungbuk National University (former president of the Korea IR Council), who presented on the theme “IR as the Compass for University Innovation.” He discussed the domestic and international status of IR and the path forward for evidence-based decision-making (EBDM).

Professor Bae Sang-hoon, director of academic affairs at Sungkyunkwan University, shared Sungkyunkwan’s hands-on IR practices under the title “From Analysis to Dialogue and Improvement,” proposing actionable IR strategies for linking data analysis to institutional reform.

Lee Hu-yeon, director of sky 토토사이트 evaluation at the JoongAng Ilbo, presented on “University Outcomes from the Perspective of Educational Consumers,” highlighting the gap between internal and external perceptions of universities and sharing expectations from the public. She also introduced the media outlet’s role in bridging universities and the public through its annual university rankings.

Jae-ho Heo, executive director at LG CNS, delivered a lecture titled “Performance Management in the Era of Data-Driven Innovation,” presenting insights on how digital transformation (DX/AX) is reshaping enterprise performance management and offering implications for similar changes in higher education.

Professor Ham Seung-hwan (Department of Education), director of the Hanyang IDEA Center, remarked, “The true value of IR is realized through collaboration and data sharing among universities. We hope this symposium serves as a practical starting point for designing a better future together by connecting the diverse realities of our institutions.”

Going forward, the Hanyang IDEA Center plans to expand joint research, data exchange, and policy proposals with other universities, building a collaborative and open IR ecosystem that transcends institutional boundaries and contributes to innovation across Korea’s higher education sector.

Hanyang University remains committed to transparent governance based on social trust, rational policymaking grounded in data, and a community-oriented model for educational innovation. Through these efforts, it aims to establish IR not just as a functional tool, but as a strategic system at the core of the university’s evolving mission.