Utah State University signed an agreement with a South Korean university this week that will lead to student exchanges and possibly further cooperative efforts.
USU President Stan Albrecht met with a delegation from Far East University that included its president, Kee Il Lyu, last Monday and Tuesday before signing an Agreement of Cooperation between the two schools.
The meeting was initiated by former USU political science professor Yun Kim, who is now the endowed chair professor of social science and the dean of Academic Affairs at Far East University.
USU spokesman Patrick Williams said this was the second meeting between personnel from the schools.
"Part of the group had been here earlier this summer," Williams said. "This larger delegation was here this week for two days and visited a lot of programs on campus."
In a media release issued by USU on Friday, Mary Hubbard, who is currently out of the country, called the agreement a "win-win situation" for both universities. The vice provost for international education at USU called the signing a first step in the relationship between the schools.
"More detailed proposals for faculty and student projects will be developed," she said. "This is another exciting development in our efforts to increase international education."
Student exchanges between the two institutions will be one to-one, meaning for every Far East University student coming to USU, a Utah State student would travel to South Korea.
Hubbard said Far East has proposed some financial incentives in the program, making the student abroad possibility more accessible.
On Friday, Williams said Hubbard had indicated plans are still being compiled regarding this new relationship.
"But they hope to do faculty exchanges and hopefully have some co-research agreements," he said.
Included in the Korean delegation is a university president, a professor of computer science and dean of academic affairs, a social welfare department head, a nursing department head, an animation department head, a program officer with its International Education system and the headmaster of an international high school in the area.
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