Reflecting its title, Handong World College has grown into certainly one of Korea’s most vibrant campuses, with an lively residential neighborhood the place college students from greater than 60 nations research, stay and socialize collectively. From its distinctive dormitory system to a curriculum deeply rooted in world citizenship, the college is redefining internationalization in increased schooling.
“Our imaginative and prescient is to develop into a worldwide schooling platform that takes duty for each stage, from admission to postgraduation,” stated President Choi Do-soung in an interview with The Korea Instances.
One of many college’s most distinctive traits is its extremely residential campus, with practically 90 p.c of scholars residing in dormitories. In contrast to most universities that separate native and worldwide college students, Handong integrates them into the identical residence faculties to create a setting the place studying and residing mix collectively seamlessly.
“Handong’s best energy in globalization lies not in creating separate packages for worldwide college students, however in designing a system the place Korean and worldwide college students naturally combine in each facet of educational and campus life,” Choi stated.
The college emphasizes that its project-based studying programs pair Korean and worldwide college students in blended groups, encouraging collaboration that builds each character and sensible problem-solving abilities.
Amongst them, the World Convergence Research program stands out as a trademark of the college’s improvements — an all-English monitor that lets college students design their very own interdisciplinary majors that align with their passions and profession aspirations. The method, the college notes, displays Handong’s dedication to creating an inclusive classroom the place each scholar learns and leads on equal phrases.
The campus tradition is equally inclusive, extending past the classroom to each nook of scholar life. Golf equipment and educational societies function with out obstacles, fostering real cross-cultural trade.
The college’s world choir performs at main occasions, uniting voices from around the globe, whereas athletic groups just like the Holy Rams, an American soccer membership, carry Korean and worldwide college students collectively by teamwork and shared enthusiasm for sports activities.
A Handong World College scholar takes half in a volunteer schooling program in Africa as a part of the college’s World Engagement Mobilization program. Courtesy of Handong World College
The college’s analysis tradition additionally displays its worldwide focus.
“Whereas many universities stay confined to lab-centered analysis, Handong’s best energy lies in its mannequin the place professors and college students work collectively in actual world settings to deal with native challenges and produce tangible analysis outcomes,” Choi stated.
As a part of this imaginative and prescient, the college operates a number of signature packages that merge analysis with real-world influence.
Via UNITWIN, a UNESCO-affiliated worldwide college community, the college collaborates with accomplice establishments around the globe to conduct joint analysis that contributes to attaining the U.N.’s sustainable improvement targets.
The World Engagement Mobilization program offers college students the chance to determine social challenges in abroad communities and sort out them by hands-on analysis and fieldwork. Equally, below school supervision, the World Rotation Program brings collectively scholar groups to work with world corporations, native universities and NGOs on sensible problem-solving initiatives.
“These techniques are potential as a result of most of our professors have lengthy been concerned in ODA (official improvement help) initiatives and field-based schooling, giving them established worldwide analysis websites and initiatives of their very own,” Choi stated.
Consequently, roughly 38.7 p.c of the college’s school publications are merchandise of worldwide collaboration, and the college’s field-weighted quotation influence stands at 1.11, exceeding the worldwide common — a testomony to the standard and affect of its analysis output.
College students stroll exterior a lecture corridor at Handong World College’s campus in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Handong World College
Choi additionally burdened that the college’s imaginative and prescient goes past merely attracting worldwide college students — it’s about cultivating world leaders who can drive significant change of their residence nations.
“Based mostly on this philosophy, the Handong Cornerstone Scholarship supplies full assist for 4 years, masking tuition, dormitory, residing bills and meals,” he stated. “The purpose is to assist excellent college students from growing nations return residence and develop into true cornerstones — leaders who remodel their communities and societies.”
Since its launch in 2009, the scholarship has supported 1,373 college students from growing nations around the globe.
As well as, since 2015, the college has partnered with Korea Worldwide Cooperation Company (KOICA) to function a graduate program for presidency officers and public sector staff from growing nations, serving to them apply Korea’s improvement expertise to their very own nationwide contexts.
A lot of Handong’s graduates have gone on to work for world nongovernmental organizations and teams such because the Korea Worldwide Cooperation Company and the Korea Commerce-Funding Promotion Company, in addition to main Korean regulation corporations and worldwide improvement companies, reflecting the college’s rising affect as a coaching floor for globally minded professionals.
College students attend a category taught in English at Handong World College in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of Handong World College
Handong World College can also be enjoying a pivotal function in driving the globalization of its residence metropolis, Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province, by its participation within the authorities’s Glocal College 30 initiative. Town is getting ready to open the brand new Pohang Worldwide Exhibition and Conference Middle as a hub for internet hosting worldwide occasions and fostering a worldwide surroundings.
The college is working intently with town to assist main world gatherings such because the World Inexperienced Progress Discussion board and the Pohang World Expo, not solely contributing to the success of those occasions but additionally serving to to ascertain Pohang as a middle for world cultural and educational trade.
Choi famous a rising pattern amongst worldwide college students, who’re more and more drawn to Korea’s tradition and industries, resulting in increased demand for postgraduation employment alternatives throughout the nation. Reflecting this shift, the college has strengthened its place by sustaining an English-based world schooling whereas enhancing its give attention to Korean language studying.
Finally, Choi emphasised that the college’s method to globalization is just not about numbers however about values.
“Our imaginative and prescient is to ascertain a sustainable mannequin of world schooling that nurtures college students into competent leaders wherever they go — people who contribute meaningfully to their nations and to the worldwide neighborhood,” he stated.
