A delegation of four administrators from Tongmyong University, South Korea visited Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Engineering on January 15-16.
The administrators met with top SIUE officials, including Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe and School of Engineering Dean Hasan Sevim. The South Korean delegation’s main objective was to discuss the establishment of a 2+2 program with SIUE in mechanical, industrial, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science programs.
The School of Engineering has had a similar 2+2 agreement in industrial engineering with Istanbul Technical University, Turkey since 2007.
The two-day visit ended with tentative curricula in all five disciplines. Administrators from both universities will finalize the details of the proposed 2+2 program over the next few months and expect to sign a formal agreement late in the spring 2013 semester.
In addition to the 2+2 program, discussions also were held about study abroad opportunities for SIUE students, as well as faculty exchange and cooperative research.
“The opportunities we have been pursuing with Tongmyong University and schools in other countries will bring a much desired diversification to our student population in the School of Engineering,” said Hasan Sevim, dean of the SIUE School of Engineering. “The opportunities we will create for our domestic and international students will make them more attractive both in the regional and global markets.”
Tongmyong University is a private institution located in Busan, South Korea, with a population of about 3.5 million. The city enjoys the economic livelihood of being one of the busiest port cities in the world. The four visitors were Tongmyon University Provost Young Yeol Choo; Park Jun-Hyub, dean of the College of Engineering; In-Ho Kim, chair of mechanical and electronics engineering, and Jin Young Hong, professor of electrical engineering and director of international programs.