A local private university is attracting attention after it stepped out to raise funds for school development by introducing the 'Myojari' benefit. Analysts say it is a measure to strengthen finances by providing unconventional benefits to donors amid difficulties in management due to a drop in the student enrollment rate.
Daegu Catholic University announced on the 18th (today), "To honor donors of the school development fund, we will create a 'DCU Meritorious Cemetery' at the Catholic Gunwi Cemetery in Gunwi-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do." The cemetery is said to be provided to donors who donated more than 100 million won or 150 million won or more, and their spouses, with a size of about 500 graveyards.
The university explained, "If the donor who paid the development fund dies, it is placed in the graveyard of the meritorious person. Ossuary can be preserved and managed permanently, and burial tombs can be preserved and managed for up to 60 years."
The school announced plans to hold a memorial mass on the donor's anniversary as well as providing a seat for the donor. Also, in the event of the death of a donor and the donor's spouse, a funeral mass is held for the donor over 500 million won and a memorial mass is held every year for donors over 50 million won. Daegu Catholic University is planning to carry out a full-scale publicity related to Myoji from next month.
Dong-ki Woo, President of Daegu Catholic University, said, "We will focus our sincerity on the respect of donors of the development fund in various ways.
The fact that universities have mobilized so much space to raise funds is related to the poor financial situation of local universities.
Local universities are suffering from triple high school as the enrollment rate is dropping day by day, along with chronic problems such as tuition freezing for more than 10 years and restructuring funds.
In addition, in the aftermath of COVID-19, fundraising activities have been reduced, and expenses such as the introduction of remote classes and the provision of special coronation scholarships are increasing, making the financial difficulties of local universities more severe.
According to the University Information Disclosure, domestic private university donations in 2020 amounted to 561.9 billion won, a decrease of 68.8 billion won from the previous year.
In 2019, the amount of donations raised from the previous year increased by KRW 29.1 billion.
Universities are accelerating the provision of differentiated benefits, such as providing a seat or making a bust of a large donor as a self-help measure to overcome financial difficulties.
This is a 'news pick'.
(Photo = Yonhap News)