Zimpher Lauds Stony Brook-South Korea Project as ‘Model for Higher Education’ Worldwide
The newly opened SUNY Korea is the first American university with a physical presence within the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) and a US delegation led by SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, SUNY Vice Chancellor Mitch Leventhal and Dennis N. Assanis, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at SUNY Stony Brook, were on hand to welcome the historic inaugural class.
The opening ceremony, held in Incheon on March 19, was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm from South Korean officials and local community members, as well as the Korean national and local press.
SUNY’s partnership with Songdo Global University in South Korea “serves as a model for higher education around the world," said Zimpher.
"Today's ceremony is the culmination of outstanding work by excellent faculty and staff at Stony Brook and Songdo. Together, we will create boundless new opportunities for cutting-edge research, business endeavors, and government affairs between our two nations," she said.
SUNY Korea currently offers master’s programs in technology and computer science, although an expansion of degree curricula is planned. The first class of SUNY Korea, a total of 34 Stony Brook students – all residents of Korea -- began classes in March.
The SUNY Board of Trustees authorized the development and implementation of educational programs and research collaborations in the IFEZ in a 2009 resolution. SUNY Korea was subsequently funded by the South Korean government through its Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the Incheon Free Economic Zone, and the Metropolitan City of Incheon.
While attendees at the ceremony spoke of the wider implications of the SUNY Korea partnership and the potential for cross-national learning, Stony Brook Provost Assanis directly addressed the importance of the collaboration to his school.
“Stony Brook University will benefit from this partnership because it places the University on a world stage, and further builds upon our reputation as an ‘internationally’ renowned institution of higher learning,” added Assanis.
“This joint venture strategically positions us to develop cutting-edge research that will contribute new knowledge and new technologies to our global community. With its educational mission and the leadership that we have put in place, SUNY Korea is destined to grow and prosper.”
From SUNY Global Newsletter Spring 2012: https://system.suny.edu/global/news/