Hanyang University Hosts Forum on Data Governance for Higher Education Innovation

Hanyang University, through its Hanyang IDEA Center, recently hosted the "2026 Korea University IR Council Summer Forum" in collaboration with the Korea University IR Council (KAIR). The event, held at Hanyang University's Seoul campus, focused on "Data Governance for Sustainable Higher Education Innovation" and attracted over 450 participants from universities and higher education institutions nationwide.

The forum served as a platform for professors, researchers, and staff from university IR departments, along with other higher education stakeholders, to share perspectives on data-driven decision-making and the future of higher education innovation. Key topics included the evolving role of IR in the age of artificial intelligence, strategies for data-based university innovation, performance management, analysis of admissions data, and the integrated use of IR data.

Hanyang University President Lee Ki-jeong delivered a congratulatory address, defining the role of university IR not merely as data collection but as a facilitator for universities to ask themselves the most honest questions. He emphasized the importance of asking fundamental questions in an era where AI is transforming the very meaning of knowledge, urging universities to critically assess their educational impact and the effectiveness of their systems.

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Data collection is not the job, but helping the university ask itself the most honest questions.

"A university's autonomy is strengthened by the responsibility to explain itself," President Lee stated, likening IR to a bridge connecting universities and society through trust. He expressed hope that the experiences and insights shared at the forum would become assets for the entire higher education sector, not just individual institutions, noting that evidence accumulated in the field serves as the most persuasive language for policy.

Keynote presentations included discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing university education and IR in the AI era by Professor Kim Tae-yong of Kyung Hee University, and the direction of data-based university innovation based on national AI strategies by Professor Baek Eun-ok of Hanyang University. Professor Kim Song-nyeon from the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade also presented on the transformation of regional higher education, addressing changes in the policy environment surrounding universities and their regions. The forum also featured four parallel sessions in the afternoon, covering topics such as building university IR systems, developing performance indicators, predictive analysis for admissions, and leveraging integrated IR data for research and feedback.

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A university's autonomy is strengthened by the responsibility to explain itself. IR is a bridge connecting universities and society through trust.