Ewha Accelerates Drive for Globalization
- 작성처
- Date2008.10.02
- 4562
Ewha Womans University has actively fostered Globalization in the campus.
Following is the interview of President Bae Yong Lee with Korea Times(SEP, 30) about the 'Globalization in Ewha'.
Ewha Womans University President Lee Bae-yong talks about the school’s
globalization project at her office in an interview with The Korea Times,
Tuesday. / Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Ewha Womans University is leading the pack of Korean universities in the drive to expand their global outreach. It has launched programs incorporating values, theories and international residences to inspire students to act and think globally.
Ewha has actively set up international outreach programs in New York, Beijing, Tokyo, London and other major cities, providing its students with opportunities to study at schools there. It plans to run global outreach programs in 20 cities by the first half of next year to solidify its network with major universities under the 'Global Ewha 2010' project.
"I think we are at the forefront of globalization. Our project enables us to network with major universities in cities around the world," said Lee Bae-yong, 61, president of the school, in an interview with The Korea Times. "The number of Ewha students going abroad under the project has jumped seven-fold over the past two years. We aim to send about 60 percent of our freshmen overseas by 2010."
The 122-year-old university also has seen a growing number of foreign students and is working toward attracting more. For this, the university will continue to increase the number of English-language lectures as well as boost the proportion of foreign professors to 30 percent of its faculty.
Ewha students are currently required to take at least four English-only courses in their major and general education subjects.
"Ewha is the best-known school in the world among Korean universities. Many officials from foreign universities come here for benchmarking, especially our `women leadership programs'," Lee said.
Paju Campus
President Lee wants to combine this globalization drive with a curriculum that also emphasizes arts, history and other humanities studies.
"We have to know where we are from to know where we are going. I'm planning to require more humanities classes," Lee said. "I believe being a leader isn't just about professionalism or pragmatism. It's about integrity and character. I want to put a greater focus on these studies nurturing these human values and virtue."
To further invigorate its project to globalize the school, Ewha is seeking to build a new campus in Paju City, about 30 minutes away from its Seoul campus. The school plans to establish an education and research complex there by 2010. Lee aims to raise about 100 billion won by that year.
The new campus plans to accommodate industrial and academic research centers, dormitories for foreign professors, and 'life-long' education facilities for the school's alumnae.
"Cultural sites abound in Paju. It is also located near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. Hence the city can be the perfect place to prepare for unification and stronger South-North relations," Lee said.
Some Paju residents have filed complaints for higher compensation. However, Lee is positive about the project as the campus will ultimately benefit the residents and the regional economy too.
"Although some residents there are protesting against our new campus plan, I believe all people there will soon realize it will be really helpful for the city."
Lee plans to focus on humanities education to foster global leaders with good personalities on the new campus. Also, the Paju campus will house foreign language immersion facilities and teach leadership and ethics.
As a historian, the president stressed that students should learn more about Korean history and she will participate in field trips visiting historical sites together with students from this semester. In regard to the Dokdo issue, she said schools strengthen history education, and all society should tackle the issues with a more strategic and systematic approach, discarding an emotional response.
Partnership With Global Peers
Ewha is the biggest university for women in the world with 23,000 students. It is composed of 14 colleges and 14 graduate schools, and 1.7 million women have graduated from it.
"Ewha is appealing to a growing number of foreign students," she said. Ewha is the only school having a partnership with Harvard University. The school has been selected as the only Korean university to participate in the Harvard College in Asia Program, an exchange program with Asian countries run by the U.S. university. Under the program, Ewha and Harvard started to exchange students from this February and co-run programs covering politics, economics and culture of the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition, Peking University in Beijing hosted last May 'Ewha Womans University Day.' The Chinese top university has the 'university day' events to create partnerships with prestigious universities such as Yale, Stanford and Oxford. Ewha became the first Korean university on the list.
Although Ewha doesn't grant degrees to male students in principle, it allows males from its partnership universities to get degrees under the dual degree programs.
As for admission system of Korean universities, Lee said that universities ultimately need to have the autonomy to select students according to their founding ideology and a 'professional admission system' would be helpful in moving in that direction.
Graduating from the university in 1969, Lee obtained a Ph.D in literature from Sogang University in 1984 and became a professor at her alma mater in 1994. She has been heading the school since August 2006 and was elected this year as the chairwoman of the Korean Council for Presidents of Private Universities.
Following is the interview of President Bae Yong Lee with Korea Times(SEP, 30) about the 'Globalization in Ewha'.
Ewha Womans University President Lee Bae-yong talks about the school’s
globalization project at her office in an interview with The Korea Times,
Tuesday. / Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Ewha Womans University is leading the pack of Korean universities in the drive to expand their global outreach. It has launched programs incorporating values, theories and international residences to inspire students to act and think globally.
Ewha has actively set up international outreach programs in New York, Beijing, Tokyo, London and other major cities, providing its students with opportunities to study at schools there. It plans to run global outreach programs in 20 cities by the first half of next year to solidify its network with major universities under the 'Global Ewha 2010' project.
"I think we are at the forefront of globalization. Our project enables us to network with major universities in cities around the world," said Lee Bae-yong, 61, president of the school, in an interview with The Korea Times. "The number of Ewha students going abroad under the project has jumped seven-fold over the past two years. We aim to send about 60 percent of our freshmen overseas by 2010."
The 122-year-old university also has seen a growing number of foreign students and is working toward attracting more. For this, the university will continue to increase the number of English-language lectures as well as boost the proportion of foreign professors to 30 percent of its faculty.
Ewha students are currently required to take at least four English-only courses in their major and general education subjects.
"Ewha is the best-known school in the world among Korean universities. Many officials from foreign universities come here for benchmarking, especially our `women leadership programs'," Lee said.
Paju Campus
President Lee wants to combine this globalization drive with a curriculum that also emphasizes arts, history and other humanities studies.
"We have to know where we are from to know where we are going. I'm planning to require more humanities classes," Lee said. "I believe being a leader isn't just about professionalism or pragmatism. It's about integrity and character. I want to put a greater focus on these studies nurturing these human values and virtue."
To further invigorate its project to globalize the school, Ewha is seeking to build a new campus in Paju City, about 30 minutes away from its Seoul campus. The school plans to establish an education and research complex there by 2010. Lee aims to raise about 100 billion won by that year.
The new campus plans to accommodate industrial and academic research centers, dormitories for foreign professors, and 'life-long' education facilities for the school's alumnae.
"Cultural sites abound in Paju. It is also located near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. Hence the city can be the perfect place to prepare for unification and stronger South-North relations," Lee said.
Some Paju residents have filed complaints for higher compensation. However, Lee is positive about the project as the campus will ultimately benefit the residents and the regional economy too.
"Although some residents there are protesting against our new campus plan, I believe all people there will soon realize it will be really helpful for the city."
Lee plans to focus on humanities education to foster global leaders with good personalities on the new campus. Also, the Paju campus will house foreign language immersion facilities and teach leadership and ethics.
As a historian, the president stressed that students should learn more about Korean history and she will participate in field trips visiting historical sites together with students from this semester. In regard to the Dokdo issue, she said schools strengthen history education, and all society should tackle the issues with a more strategic and systematic approach, discarding an emotional response.
Partnership With Global Peers
Ewha is the biggest university for women in the world with 23,000 students. It is composed of 14 colleges and 14 graduate schools, and 1.7 million women have graduated from it.
"Ewha is appealing to a growing number of foreign students," she said. Ewha is the only school having a partnership with Harvard University. The school has been selected as the only Korean university to participate in the Harvard College in Asia Program, an exchange program with Asian countries run by the U.S. university. Under the program, Ewha and Harvard started to exchange students from this February and co-run programs covering politics, economics and culture of the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition, Peking University in Beijing hosted last May 'Ewha Womans University Day.' The Chinese top university has the 'university day' events to create partnerships with prestigious universities such as Yale, Stanford and Oxford. Ewha became the first Korean university on the list.
Although Ewha doesn't grant degrees to male students in principle, it allows males from its partnership universities to get degrees under the dual degree programs.
As for admission system of Korean universities, Lee said that universities ultimately need to have the autonomy to select students according to their founding ideology and a 'professional admission system' would be helpful in moving in that direction.
Graduating from the university in 1969, Lee obtained a Ph.D in literature from Sogang University in 1984 and became a professor at her alma mater in 1994. She has been heading the school since August 2006 and was elected this year as the chairwoman of the Korean Council for Presidents of Private Universities.
By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter(kswho@koreatimes.co.kr)