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"Write the Life You Want”: James Rhee on Agency and Kindness at SUNY Korea With the world changing so fast and becoming less stable, it is easy for us to lose our agency. On September 30th, 2025, Global CEO and National Bestselling Author James Rhee, founder of the Red Helicopter and Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship at Howard University, visited SUNY Korea for a distinguished Seminar on how to reclaim agency and lead with kindness. The event drew distinguished guests from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, local high school teachers, and members of the SUNY Korea community, with opening remarks by the Dean of Academic Affairs. Rhee, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law and the former Executive chairman who led the celebrated turnaround of Ashley Stewart, framed the talk around a simple tension: the world is changing faster than our ability to feel in control. In moments like this, he said, people chase perfection, outsource judgement to leaders or smartphones and forget their own authorship. What is Agency? “Agency means you are not a puppet, you choose, you act, you own the outcome,” he explained. True agency blends autonomy, competence, connection, and trust. To visualize this balance, Rhee offered his signature red helicopter metaphor. A helicopter is loud and crashes more often than a plane, but it can move in six directions and, crucially, it can hover. Having agency does not mean being the best at everything, but rather, being balanced. He added, “The best pilots make constant micro adjustments,” an image for how agentic people lead through times of uncertainty. Additionally, he argued that kindness is not soft; it is structural. “Kindness is an investment in someone’s agency,” he said. It is not direct, not merely “nice,” it creates positive externalities known as goodwill, that disperses in teams and communities. As he succinctly put it: “math + kindness = truth.” In kind environments, ego and fear diminish, brains expand, and creativity rises. That matters in a future where what’s most human – empathy, judgment and “jeong” (정) – will be our advantage. The talk was threaded with his personal story. Growing up between cultures, Rhee shared how external success once left him feeling less agentic and even less Korean. Reclaiming agency, he said, is often painful and requires courage: confident people ask for help; insecure cultures punish it. Agency is not fear based, and we must be confident and curious. We cannot have agency if we do not trust ourselves, and we cannot be kind to people if we are not kind to ourselves. He closed with a challenge: “The ultimate act of agency is to write the life that you want. If you can lead yourself, you can lead others. What is your red helicopter story?” Rhee encouraged students to listen to their own inner voice and refuse to let others silence it. The process of linking past, present and future with balance, connection, measurement and goodwill, is the journey of agency itself. SUNY Korea thanks James Rhee for his impactful seminar and for setting us on a mission to discover our agency and to lead with kindness. Written by Student Reporter, Onyinyechi Achi (onyinyechi.achi@stonybrook.edu)
2025.10.02 Hits 433
Distinguished Seminar Encourages Reflection on Korean Identity and Culture On April 30, 2025, SUNY Korea welcomed Dr. Ki-Pyung Yoo, Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the 14th President of Sogang University, to speak at the Distinguished Seminar series. Dr. Yoo delivered an overview of Korean history, tradition, passion for education, and current challenges, all of which were topics that students could deeply reflect on. Throughout the seminar, Dr. Yoo touched on a variety of topics, including the strengths and weaknesses of Korean culture, the historical trajectory of Korea, and the global influence of the Korean Wave, particularly K-pop. He also highlighted the value of the Korean language, describing it as both accessible and adaptable—especially in how it simplifies English pronunciation. Following the lecture, students were given the opportunity to engage directly with Dr. Yoo during a Q&A session. When asked whether Korea’s global image could suffer due to current domestic challenges, Dr. Yoo emphasized that each country has its own unique circumstances, and such issues are unlikely to cause a major shift in international perception. This seminar served as a meaningful opportunity for students to engage with a distinguished academic from outside the university. It allowed international students to gain a deeper understanding of Korean culture, while reminding Korean students about the importance of understanding and taking pride in their cultural heritage.
2025.05.09 Hits 4589
[Student Reporter] Distinguished Seminar: Dr. Jaewan Kim Explores the Frontiers of Quantum Science at SUNY Korea On March 26, 2025, SUNY Korea had the privilege of hosting Dr. Jaewan Kim, a distinguished professor at Yonsei University and the Director of the Institute of Quantum Information Technology. Held in Room 105 of Academic Building C, the seminar presented a unique opportunity for students and faculty to dive into the evolving world of quantum mechanics and quantum information science. The event began with light refreshments and an introduction to Dr. Kim, whose academic background spans decades of pioneering work in quantum theory. To break the ice and immediately capture the audience’s curiosity, Dr. Kim engaged two student volunteers in a clever number-guessing activity, using a table of values to demonstrate the power of binary (bit) systems, a concept that would anchor the rest of his talk. Celebrating 100 years of quantum mechanics, Dr. Kim guided attendees through the historical evolution of the field, from foundational figures like De Broglie, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Bohr, to the major philosophical debates that shaped modern quantum theory. He emphasized concepts such as wave-particle duality, quantum superposition, and entanglement, weaving in famous thought experiments like Schrödinger’s cat and the EPR paradox. One particularly striking segment of the seminar addressed the first and second quantum revolutions. The first revolution laid the foundation for our understanding of atomic structures and gave rise to transformative technologies like semiconductors and lasers. The second quantum revolution, as Dr. Kim explained, focuses on quantum information science, including quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing. Dr. Kim highlighted the contributions of John Bell and the 1964 proposal of Bell’s inequality, a pivotal moment that led to experimental tests confirming quantum mechanics' predictions and opening the door to quantum information science. From quantum cryptography to quantum radar and quantum imaging, Dr. Kim introduced a wide range of applications that are no longer science fiction but are rapidly emerging areas of research. He also explained the basic building blocks of quantum computing, such as qubits, Hadamard gates, and the Schrödinger equation, contrasting classical digital computing with the probabilistic and multidimensional nature of quantum systems. The seminar concluded with a lively Q&A session, where Dr. Kim addressed questions with clarity and enthusiasm, leaving students and faculty inspired and curious about the possibilities of the quantum future. Written by Student Reporter, Onyinyechi Achi (onyinyechi.achi@stonybrook.edu)
2025.03.31 Hits 4457