The 14th Dean of the College of Medicine held an agreement ceremony to donate the medical development fund

- "In hopes that it will not only expand finances but also increase the identity and sense of belonging among members."

▲(left) Prof. Ji Dong Sung, Prof. Hong Jin Jeon, Prof. Joo Heung Lee (president of the College of Medicine), Prof. Kyu Yeoun Hur, Prof. Ji Hye Hwang, Prof Byung Joon Jeon

On March 22nd (Wed), the dean of the medical school held an agreement ceremony to announce the start of the medical school development fund revitalization campaign "TMBR". TMBR stands for "Ten Million Before Retirement" and is a campaign to revitalize the development fund with the aim of donating at least 10 million won during the term of all full-time teachers at medical schools.

At the signing ceremony, a total of nine deans, including Prof. Joo Heung Lee, president of the College of Medicine, agreed to donate a total of 110 million won, signaling the revitalization of the medical development fund that began at the beginning of the year. The average annual donation of medical schools over the past 10 years has been only about 150 million won, of which 100 million won per year, excluding institutional donations. This is insignificant compared to other competing universities, and according to the recently published detailed analysis report of the Development Fund, a donation of 300-400 million won per year is needed to operate a minimum medical school. It was analyzed that 500 to 600 million won per year will be needed to support research and education according to development strategies, and 800 to 900 million won per year considering building expansion in the future.

At the signing ceremony, Dean Joo Heung Lee expressed his deep gratitude to the professors who participated in the campaign and emphasized that the financial base of Sungkyunkwan University's medical school, which is ranked 50th in the world, needs to be expanded.

In particular, the expansion of funds for medical schools with a short history and fewer students has a structure in which professors have no choice but to take the lead, expressing hope that it will not only expand finances but also increase identity and sense of belonging among medical members which had been separated by three hospitals with the natural sciences campus.

In addition, in the first quarter of this year, the amount which the medical school development fund agreed was about 300 million won, far exceeding the average annual donation over the past decade. An official from the College of Medicine said, "If the momentum of the campaign continues until the end of the year, it is expected to have promising results.”