[Meet the President] Yonsei University's globalization strategy centers on exchange

“Back in the day when I attended Yonsei, my seniors used to tell me that even dogs in Sinchon barked in English,” said Yonsei University President Suh Seoung-hwan. "That's how serious the school was about English and globalization."

Yonsei University President Suh Seoung-hwan hopes to strengthen existing bonds with foreign universities and build new ones virtually as his school gears up to take its online learning platform to a whole new level. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Globalization has been a core pursuit for many Korean universities in recent years as they seek to attract the brightest minds from all corners of the world. The presence of foreign students across college campuses comes at a crucial time for the country, as the dipping fertility rate is swiftly changing demographics and taking a toll on school systems. Last year, Korea hosted more than 150,000 international students despite the raging Covid-19 pandemic, mostly those from Asian countries with a passion for Korean culture and language who arrived for better career prospects. In the “Meet the President” series, the Korea JoongAng Daily asks the presidents of prominent Korean universities to introduce their schools and explain their globalization strategies. -Ed.

At Yonsei University, adopting a globalization strategy wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment decision to survive in a country with dipping fertility levels. Founded by Christian missionaries in 1885, making it the oldest private university in Korea, the concept of globalization was never that practical, says Suh Seoung-hwan, Yonsei’s president.

“The school has always stressed the importance of English education and pushed students to adopt a global mindset,” Suh told the Korea JoongAng Daily in a recent interview at his office in Sinchon, western Seoul.

“Back in the day when I attended Yonsei, my seniors used to tell me that even dogs in Sinchon barked in English.”

During the interview, Suh, who formerly served as minister of land, infrastructure and transport, explained how his school was taking globalization efforts to the next level and what lies ahead for one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.

The following are excerpts from the interview, edited and condensed for clarity.

Q : Do you personally feel that Yonsei has become more global since you first attended school in the late 1970s as an economics student?

A : Absolutely. We’re interacting with so many more schools around the world through various avenues. Our professors are conducting joint research with their foreign counterparts and schools from abroad are reaching out to us to suggest exchange programs. Last year, Cornell University asked if we’d be interested in joining the Cornell Global Hubs, a type of student-exchange program. As such, we’re receiving great offers from many top universities. We have a very long history when it comes to globalization and interacting with foreigners. Yonsei was the first Korean university to establish a Korean language institute, so technically the first university to systematically teach foreigners. Today, we have nearly 3,500 degree-seeking international students from over 100 countries enrolled at our school. Data shows how diverse our international student body is compared to other Korean universities.

The Eagle Statue on Yonsei University’s Sinchon Campus in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, a symbol of the school’s guiding principles of truth and freedom [YONSEI UNIVERSITY]

Q : What’s Yonsei’s globalization strategy?

A : One key pillar is boosting exchanges with foreign universities. Yonsei has signed agreements with over 700 institutes in nearly 80 countries, and we actively participate in various types of associations to discuss the exchanges of students and professors. For instance, the Korea-Japan Millennium Forum has allowed Korea’s Yonsei University and Korea University alongside Japan’s Waseda University and Keio University to discuss academic and research exchanges every year since 2000. About 200 students come and go every semester through a separate student exchange program we have with the nine University of California schools. Another pillar we’re currently working on is online learning. We’re in the process of developing a virtual student exchange program in which students are exchanged virtually. We also hope to expand our online learning platform, LearnUs, where more than 20 Korean universities have gathered to share online classes through a blending learning system. We want to take the same system abroad, allowing our professors to team up with foreign professors to basically have two different professors teach the same class, or have our students take online classes at foreign universities and receive credit. We’ll be starting a similar virtual program with a Japanese university next semester.

Q : Will the Korean professors have no problem teaching in English?

A : Most Korean professors at Yonsei have absolutely no problem teaching in English. It’s the students who may face difficulty catching up with the classes if English isn’t their mother tongue. We’re trying to develop a subtitle system for our online courses. The subtitles could be Korean or maybe even Chinese. There’s so much potential.

An aerial view of Yonsei's Mirae Campus in Wonju, Gangwon [YONSEI UNIVERSITY]

Q : I heard Yonsei has a college exclusively for international students.

A : Founded in 2015, the Global Leaders College is for overseas Korean students and international students who have completed all 12 years of pre-university education abroad. We currently have about 1,200 students from 45 countries enrolled. In our survey asking Yonsei students how satisfied they are with school, results last year showed that students at the Global Leaders College were the second-most satisfied cohort out of 18 colleges. That’s a huge improvement from 2017, when survey results indicated they were the 13th most satisfied group.

Q : Many international students in Korea complain about a lack of attention from their universities, saying their schools don’t seem to be interested in responding to their needs. What’s your take on that?

A : I think everyone tends to feel that way when they move to another country. Even for Korean students studying abroad, it’s not easy blending into a new environment, especially if you don’t know the language. On top of the fact that Yonsei provides Korean language and basic general education classes to international students, one really interesting aspect about our school is that all degree-seeking freshmen have to spend their first year living in dorms. It’s a great opportunity for international students to mingle with Korean students because they’re physically right next to each other throughout the entire day — eating, sleeping and learning together.

International students at Yonsei partake in the 28th Annual National Korean Language Writing Contest for Foreign Nationals in 2018, a yearly contest hosted by Yonsei University’s Institute of Language Research and Education to promote the Korean language for Hangul Day, which falls on Oct. 9. [YONSEI UNIVERSITY]

Q : How has the on-campus housing policy worked out?

A : From an educational perspective, I think the policy has brought many positive results. Students are able to save time getting from their beds to their classrooms, using whatever time is left to study together with their peers. We’re also sensing a much stronger bond between the students, partially because we mix them up. For instance, students at the College of Commerce and Economics are roommates with students at the College of Liberal Arts.

Q : Yonsei has a campus in Songdo named the International Campus. What makes it international?

A : When we established the International Campus in 2010, our first-stage goal was to create an international vibe on the new campus by inviting foreign institutes, research labs and UN organizations to open offices there, allowing Yonsei students to be somewhat motivated by their presence. The UNOSD [United Nations Office for Sustainable Development] actually has an office in one of our buildings.

The Libertas HallA on Yonsei's International Campus in Songdo, Incheon, one of the school's three campuses [YONSEI UNIVERSITY]

Q : What do you mean by “first-stage” goal? Are there more stages?

A : Our first-stage goal of the International Campus has to do with education. Our second-stage goal is to create a science park on the campus by blending bioscience, medicine and ICT [information and communications technology]. Among some of the plans we have for the science park vision is building a hospital. Construction work is expected to kick off this year and be completed by 2026. Other than that, we’re also in the process of commencing training programs for the Korean-NIBRT project, held in partnership with the Dublin-based NIBRT, a prestigious institute that provides training for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

The captain of Yonsei’s iconic AKARAKA Cheering Squad performs in front of a crowd of Yonsei University students during a baseball game in 2015 against Korea University. [YONSEI UNIVERSITY]

Q : Do you have any advice for students abroad who are considering studying in Korea?

A : There could be many reasons why a foreign student would aspire to study in Korea, but I think one really good thing about studying in another country is that you get to experience diversity. Speaking from an urban economics point of view, since that’s my field of study, one key factor in determining the productivity of an urban area is diversity, which means that when people of diverse backgrounds come together to form a city, that city’s productivity will grow. When students meet different people, they’re prone to improve their creativity and understanding of others. You can’t get that experience from traveling. You get it from studying with your peers and working together against all odds for a shared goal. Studying abroad is definitely worth the challenge.

━ President’s bio

Suh Seoung-hwan is the 19th president of Yonsei University, whose four-year term began in February 2020. He’s been a professor at Yonsei’s School of Economics since 1987. Suh was the minister of land, infrastructure and transport from 2013 to 2015. Before his role in the Cabinet, he served as vice president of Yonsei’s International Campus from February to July 2012. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s in economics at Yonsei University and Ph.D. in economics at Princeton University.

━ Yonsei campuses in a glance

Three campuses make up Yonsei University: the Sinchon Campus in Seodaemun District, western Seoul; the International Campus in Songdo, Incheon; and the Mirae Campus in Wonju, Gangwon.

The Sinchon Campus is Yonsei University’s main campus, located just a few miles from downtown Seoul. All freshmen at the Sinchon Campus are required to live in dormitories on the International Campus in Songdo. The Sinchon and International campuses host nearly 90 percent of Yonsei’s total international student body.

The International Campus opened in March 2010 as Yonsei University marked its 125th anniversary. The campus is in proximity to Incheon International Airport, Incheon Harbor and various advanced technology facilities, serving the three key goals of the campus: globalization of Yonsei, quality research and education. The campus was completed in 2014 with 21 buildings, including dormitories that are capable of hosting more than 5,000 students.

Founded in 1978, the Mirae Campus has led research in the fields of biomedical engineering, chemistry and medical chemistry, modern Korean literature and poverty alleviation. The Mirae Campus opened the first residential college program in Korea in 2007, allowing all freshmen at the Mirae Campus to live together in the same dormitories.

━ About the university

Name Yonsei University

Type Private

Established April 10, 1885

English slogan Truth and Freedom

Location Sinchon Campus: Seodaemun District, western Seoul International Campus: Songdo, Incheon Mirae Campus: Wonju, Gangwon

Campus size Sinchon and International campuses: 1,440,713 square meters (356.01 acres) Mirae Campus: 1,667,788 square meters

Undergraduate colleges and departmentsSinchon and International campuses Colleges: 18 Schools and departments: 64 Mirae Campus Colleges: 6 Schools and departments: 19

Graduate schools Sinchon and International campuses: 17 Mirae Campus: 3

Students (2021)Sinchon and International campuses Undergraduates: 17,412 Postgraduates: 11,528 Total: 28,940 Mirae Campus Undergraduates: 6,499 Postgraduates: 991 Total: 7,490

Full-time academic staff (2021) Sinchon and International campuses: 1,708 Mirae Campus: 406

Administrative staff (2021) Sinchon and International campuses: 1,032 Mirae Campus: 233

Employment rate (2021) Sinchon and International campuses: 70 percent Mirae Campus: 64.9 percent

English website Sinchon and International campuses: www.yonsei.ac.kr/en_sc/ Mirae Campus: www.yonsei.ac.kr/en_wj/

International students

Number of students (2021)Sinchon and International campuses Undergraduates: 1,784 Postgraduates: 1,024 Short-term students (language learning, exchange program): 2,124 Total: 4,932 Mirae Campus Undergraduates: 325 Postgraduates: 195 Short-term students (language learning, exchange program): 70 Total: 590

By country (2021)Sinchon and International campuses China 32.7 percent U.S. 18.9 percent Japan 7.8 percent Other: 40.6 percent (115 countries) Mirae Campus China 74.7 percent Mongolia 4.4 percent Vietnam 2.9 percent Other: 18 percent (36 countries)

Departments with the most international students (2021) Sinchon and International campuses: Global Leaders College, Underwood International College Mirae Campus: Global Elite Division

Average tuition of self-funded undergraduate students per semester (2021) Sinchon and International campuses: 5.32 million won ($4,190) Mirae Campus: 4.72 million won

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]