News Details

-The Chronicle of Higher Education

For colleges in the United States seeking a foothold in South Korea's formerly insular higher-education sector, the lure seems to be equal parts location, alumni lobbying, and a desire to be part of the country's rapid transformation.

"Everything moves so fast, which makes it so exciting," says Shirley Strum Kenny, president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Last fall Ms. Kenny signed an agreement to set up graduate and undergraduate programs and to conduct collaborative research as part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, which the Korean government hopes to turn into a hub for business and education in East Asia.

Stony Brook, which has several longstanding relationships with South Korean universities through its Center for Korean Studies, plans to initially offer programs in business and engineering and to conduct scientific research.

Ms. Kenny isn't the only American college leader to take a closer look at forming joint educational ventures in South Korea. North Carolina State University, too, signed a memorandum of understanding with Incheon last fall, and the University of Southern California is "past the first round of talks," says Adam Clayton Powell III, vice president for globalization.

The South Korean government's newfound openness to overseas universities helped persuade North Carolina State to expand its presence there, says Larry A. Nielsen, the provost. "Their vision for Western universities is very welcoming," he says.

Several American college officials say they have been encouraged in their efforts by South Korean business leaders as well. But perhaps the biggest cheerleaders for U.S. colleges in South Korea are local, often robust alumni groups, made up of the many Koreans who have studied abroad.

Harold J. Raveche, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, for example, visited Pyeongtaek, a fast-growing port city, last October at the urging of a group of Korean alumni. The university later signed an agreement to explore the establishment of a graduate school and research center there.

Cautious Approach

Still, American colleges have encountered stumbling blocks in South Korea. The higher-education sector has traditionally been insular, without much of a track record in attracting foreign academics. George Washington University was negotiating to create a campus on Jeju Island, but that project fell through.

The university now is in discussions with Incheon, which has made a preliminary proposal, says Tracy Schario, a spokeswoman.

Mr. Nielsen says North Carolina State officials are taking a cautious approach. Last November's agreement was signed only after several years of trips to South Korea, and Mr. Nielsen says it is likely to be several more years before the university decides whether to actually set up a campus at Incheon. In the meantime, he says, it will seek to expand faculty collaborations in South Korea and to send more students to study there.

Other institutions are taking different approaches. Stevens's partnership in Pyeongtaek will probably focus on graduate programs and on forming research alliances with high-tech companies.

Similarly, Southern California is considering master's-degree programs in business, engineering, and communications. As a model, Mr. Powell points to the university's joint M.B.A. program in China with Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Part of the appeal of Incheon in particular is its nearby airport and proximity, by air, to China and Japan. "It's very geographically attractive," Mr. Powell says.

But Ms. Kenny, who has been visiting South Korea since she became Stony Brook's president, in 1994, says she thinks it often has been overlooked as American colleges rush into other Asian countries.

That's too bad, she says, arguing that Koreans' entrepreneurial nature make them a good match for American higher education.

"It's a natural fit," she says.