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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, May 16, 2013

Indiana University President McRobbie visits South Korea as part of 15-day East Asia trip

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2013

EDITOR'S NOTE: A translated version of this release is also available.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie will kick off a 15-day visit to East Asia with meetings Monday with South Korean higher education leaders and a reception for new students in Seoul, South Korea.

McRobbie will sign a renewal agreement between IU and Ewha Womans University, one of Korea's top research universities as recognized by Leiden University's prestigious evaluation index.

The agreement extends the relationship between the IU Maurer School of Law and Ewha Womans University, a collaboration that allows up to five Ewha law students each year to matriculate in the Maurer School's two-semester LL.M. program.

The Maurer School has similar pacts with other Korean universities, including Chung-Ang University, Chungbuk National University, Hongik University, Sungkyunkwan University and Yonsei University.

IU Vice President for International Affairs David Zaret and IU first lady Laurie Burns McRobbie are joining McRobbie on the trip and also will be presenters at a special gathering for incoming IU students from Korea as well as alumni.

President McRobbie noted that 1,025 students from South Korea accounted for more than a 10th of IU's international enrollment of 7,700 this past academic year. The Institute of International Education ranks IU 11th among all U.S. universities in the number of international students.

IU has an active alumni chapter in Seoul. With more than 1,000 active members, it is one of the university's largest international alumni groups in the world.

"Korea is home to some of our strongest institutional partnerships, and I am excited about the prospects for further strengthening our ties there," McRobbie said. "We live in an increasingly global society, where forces that originate beyond our borders affect virtually all aspects of our lives. If IU is to effectively prepare its students to succeed in such a society, we must continue to build bridges around the world."

This is McRobbie's third official visit to South Korea since becoming IU's president in 2007. He also is traveling to China and Taiwan. The trip is one element of IU's international engagement plan. The university has identified 30 countries as priorities and has plans in place to strengthen institutional ties, increase research opportunities and provide greater access to study abroad for IU students.

Beyond the Maurer School's relationships with law schools at leading Korean universities, several schools at IU have also established ties with their counterparts at Jesus University, Pukyong National University, and Sungshin Women's University.

In 2008, IU and SKKU joined together to sign a general agreement of friendship and cooperation. The agreement led to greater collaborations between SKKU and IU's Kelley School of Business and Maurer School of Law.

Kelley and SKKU's business school are now partners on a dual Global Executive MBA Program and other educational initiatives. In 2009, IU and its Maurer School of Law signed an agreement with SKKU creating a joint J.D.-MBA program. It was the first agreement of its kind between a U.S. law school and an Asian business school.

The study of East Asia spans more than 20 departments and professional schools on the Bloomington campus, including the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, which recently marked its 50th anniversary; the Title VI-supported East Asian Studies Center; and the IU-Australian National University Pan-Asia Institute.

IU's teaching and research activities in Asia will be core efforts of the new School of Global and International Studies. Ground recently was broken on a new four-story, 165,000-square-foot structure that will house the school, starting with the 2015-16 academic school year.

Reports as the trip progresses will be available at a new website, Global Engagement and Partnerships, as well as the Global Engagements and Partnerships blog and through official IU social media channels on Facebook and Twitter.

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