Faculty Trip Gets to the Seoul of UMW’s Korean Program

 Last fall, Mary Washington welcomed 14 students from Sungshin University in Seoul, Korea. In October, faculty members traveled to the South Korean capital to discuss continuing development of the partnership between the two universities.

UMW’s Korean Program Director Esther Yook, who also directs the University’s Speaking Center, was accompanied on the trip by Acting Provost Nina Mikhalevsky and Interim Dean Rosemary Barra. The trio met with Sungshin University’s president and faculty.

Included in plans for the advancement of the program is a new – and larger – cohort of Sungshin students expected to attend UMW in the coming academic year. In turn, plans are being made to establish a program for Mary Washington students who would like to study in Seoul. Future faculty exchanges between the two universities also are possible.

The Korean students at UMW are participating in a yearlong academic program and immersing themselves in American culture. Members of the group take a full schedule of courses, live in residence halls, and engage in a wide range of student activities. They also learn  about the United States by exploring Fredericksburg and surrounding areas, including Washington, D.C.

Yook, who received her first master’s degree at Hankuk Graduate School of Simultaneous Interpretation in Seoul, believes UMW’s new Korean program provides a win-win scenario, allowing young people from Korea to learn about the United States while sharing their own culture and perspectives with students here.