Yonsei University Introduces ‘Reading Mentorship’ Program Involving the President and College Deans

[Financial News] Yonsei University is introducing a close-knit reading mentorship program in which freshmen gather in small groups with the university president and professors to read books and exchange ideas. Fifty senior faculty members, including President Dong-Sup Yoon and college deans, will serve as mentors.
Yonsei University announced on the 10th that it will operate the ‘Intellectual Journey with Professors’ program, in which freshmen and professors read and discuss books together.
The program will be conducted in small groups, with one professor and four freshmen forming each team. A total of 50 teams will be formed, with 200 freshmen taking part. During the second semester, participating students will read at least one book in full with their assigned professor and engage in in-depth conversations through regular reading discussions and informal tea gatherings.
The mentoring team includes President Dong-Sup Yoon and Jong-Soo Lee, Vice President of the Global Campus, as well as the deans of major colleges, including the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Business and Economics. Distinguished scholars representing the university, including Professor Jinwoo Cheon of the Department of Chemistry, have also joined in large numbers.
The university explained that it designed the program to move beyond lecture hall-centered, rote education and help freshmen develop a broader perspective on society and a foundation in the humanities by interacting closely with professors from the beginning of their university lives. It also aims to expand communication between professors and students outside class by making use of the Global Campus’s distinctive feature, where all freshmen live in dormitories.
Jong-Soo Lee, Vice President of the Global Campus, said, "I hope students will sit down and talk directly with professors outside rigid lecture halls, gain firsthand exposure to the fields of scholarship and research, and develop the ability to think for themselves."
Yonsei University plans to operate the program on a pilot basis through December, then comprehensively evaluate student responses and satisfaction before expanding the number of participants and the program’s scale starting in the 2027 academic year.

[email protected] Man-ki Kim Reporter