N.B. – This is a short news article I wrote about the first annual graduation event of LGC.

“Linton Global College graduates are historic pioneers building on 52 years of historic faithfulness, sacrifice and service.”

Dr. Hyung-tae Kim, president of Hannam University, made this assertion in his message at the first annual graduation event of LGC held last June 13 at the Daejeon Convention Center.

Stressing that it is the first of its kind in Korea, Dr. Kim said that LGC remains “a beacon of change and challenge for a competitive nation taking a leap toward the global standard.”

The first graduates of LGC are Mi-jin Jang, Do-yeon Kim, Ji-hyun Park, Young-tae Chon, Jun-young Song, Jee-hyun Cho and Kyu-seok Kang (Winter 2009); and Yoo-kyeong Jeon, Hye-young Kim, Soo-min Kim, Yong-ki Lee and Ye-seul Park (Summer 2009).

Prof. Todd Terhune, dean of LGC, commended the first batch of graduates for their hard work. He said that LGC has been “highly successful in preparing students for the international workplace or graduate study abroad.”

Success, according to him, should be defined along the lines of “helping students find and achieve their dream no matter what next step is required.”

The first batch of graduates has a TOEFL average of 95 which is above the 90 required for 80% of graduate schools in the United States. Eighty-six percent of them have already achieved their goals or dreams. On the part of the Winter 2009 graduates, all of them are already employed.

Dr. John Linton, medical director of the International Health Care Center of Yonsei University Medical Center and the only foreigner licensed to practice medicine in Korea, was the event’s keynote speaker.

His grandfather, William Linton, co-founded Hannam University in 1956 and served as its first president. LGC, established in 2005, was named after Hannam’s founding president.

The first annual graduation event which carried the theme “Inspire the Future” was also an occasion to pay tribute to Prof. Martin Peterhaensel (1943-2009) who died early this year.

As a sign of gratitude for his noble work, his name and photograph was included in the list of LGC’s faculty and staff. His photograph was also prominently seen in the multimedia presentation during the event which showcased the achievements of LGC through the years.