[단독] You can go to Google and become a professor at Seoul National University

In order to open more classes in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), where students want to learn recently, Seoul National University has created a new school regulation. In order to solve the AI-related faculty shortage, the restriction on the concurrent job of a professional manpower serving as a corporate employee was greatly eased. According to the new regulations, it is expected that it will be easier for experts working at global companies such as Google to teach at Seoul National University.

Summarizing the Maeil Economic Daily report on the 27th, Seoul National University deliberated on the enactment of the’Regulation on Permission for Concurrent Positions, such as outside directors for full-time faculty members of Seoul National University’ at the plenary session of the Council on the 17th. It will be implemented after promulgation by the president. The enactment made it possible to permit concurrent work in excess of one fifth of the total working hours (40 hours), or 8 hours. In this case, it is prescribed that the salary of the university can be adjusted according to the proportion of the university’s work during the concurrent period. An official from the council said, “It was very difficult before to bring in talented people, such as domestic and foreign researchers and businessmen, to Seoul National University, but it is expected to change significantly with this regulation.”

Until now, it has been a principle that professors and corporate employees of Seoul National University are prohibited from working concurrently. Even when a Seoul National University professor receives an exceptional permission from the president, the amount of time he can see corporate work is limited to 8 hours per week. It was possible to hold a concurrent position under the permission of the president, as the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Seoul National University (Seoul National University Law) was granted the permission of the president to the extent that it does not interfere with student education, guidance and academic research. This is because there was a special provision that allowed them to serve as directors. In addition, in accordance with the special case for concurrent employment of educational officials stipulated in the Venture Business Act, the Small and Medium Business Manpower Act, and the Industry-Academic Cooperation Act, corporate executives and employees have been exceptionally permitted.

However, since the company’s working hours are as short as 8 hours per week, it was almost impossible to actually join a job. For this reason, there were many cases where they had to work as a full-time teacher in the school while working, or to quit their job to be hired as a professor. In addition, they had to receive payments in the form of allowances without receiving formal remuneration from concomitant organizations such as companies.

As criticism continued that such regulations act as an obstacle to attracting experts in new technology fields such as AI, the government implemented the Basic Act on Intelligent Informatization, a revised bill that completely reorganized the Basic Act on National Informatization, and prepared a special case for concurrent jobs. The amendment contains a special case for allowing non-work or adjunct or concurrent employment for university graduates and researchers to attract private experts as professors. Seoul National University is also the first to formulate its own regulations for co-employment within the school in line with the revision of the law.

A high-ranking official at Seoul National University said, “In addition to the grounds for allowing special exceptions for concurrent employment, we have also prepared a basis for adjusting the compensation according to the ratio of working within the school.” “As a whole school, it may be a problem if many professors are employed. We will proceed with the business according to the new regulations with sufficient consent.”

With a wide range of concurrent jobs allowed, each college began working under the water to invite a variety of domestic and foreign talents. It is reported that Seoul National University Graduate School of Data Science is undergoing a procedure for special recruitment of professors that have not been recruited so far according to the new regulations. Data Science Graduate School tried to recruit doctoral-level talent from Google headquarters in the U.S. in the first half of last year, but eventually collapsed due to restrictions on concurrent jobs. Sang-gyun Cha, head of the Graduate School of Data Science, said, “Google has been suggested to adjust the working hours with Seoul National University to 50-50.” “We have prepared the first Google microlab in Seoul National University in Korea, and students can learn work at a global level through interns, etc.” We plan to provide an opportunity to be there.”

Seoul National University’s AI researcher Jang Byung-tak said, “We are discussing to recruit excellent researchers such as foreign companies. If we actively utilize the new co-employment regulations, it will be much easier.” “Hong Kong, Singapore, and China also treat them better than Korea,” said Lee Yoo-jae, dean of Business School. “Competition is fierce, and concurrent positions are freely allowed.”

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