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Meeting the �鶹��Ƶ Korea Community

�鶹��Ƶ Korea is a campus of �鶹��Ƶ, but a campus 7,000 miles away from �鶹��Ƶ’s home in Virginia does present challenges—as well as opportunities.��

President Washington's visit demonstrated his and the university’s commitment to bringing together �鶹��Ƶ's campus in Korea with its U.S. campuses. In that spirit, Washington met with multiple constituencies of the �鶹��Ƶ Korea community: students, faculty and staff, leadership, advisory board members, and alumni both of the Korean campus and �鶹��Ƶ's U.S. alumni living in Korea.

In these meetings and events Washington stressed the enormous growth of the university. He shared his expectation for �鶹��Ƶ Korea to be part of that growth, along with his hope to see more opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to study, conduct research, and work together across �鶹��Ƶ's campuses in Korea and in the United States.

Four of �鶹��Ƶ Korea’s U.S.-based advisory board members accompanied Washington on many of these engagements. Virginia State Senator Chap Petersen, who passed the legislation to establish �鶹��Ƶ Korea in 2010; Tracy Comstock, president of SilverLine Realty and Investment; Hyun Lee, executive PR director for the Organization of Korean American Women; and SoJung Lim, Fairfax City Council Member—all �鶹��Ƶ Korea advisory board members visiting from the United States—joined Washington in seeking to advance the development of �鶹��Ƶ’s campus in Korea. ��

Events and Partnerships

While at �鶹��Ƶ Korea, Washington . He told students that �鶹��Ƶ and �鶹��Ƶ Korea prepare them “to deal with many of the grand challenges affecting the world” and to see these challenges also as opportunities.

“You will indeed do great things and we will indeed be here to support and guide you toward that,” he added.

He also joined the , led by its director �鶹��Ƶ Korea Associate Dean Shannon Davis. Through the IUCF, �鶹��Ƶ Korea now has an organizational structure to accept and manage external funding from Korean government agencies and industry.

“The IUCF solidifies �鶹��Ƶ Korea’s role as an active research and civic engagement campus alongside���鶹��Ƶ’s U.S. campuses,” Washington said at the opening ceremony.

Several meetings and events furthered that commitment to research and civic engagement.��

President Washington signed two MOUs on behalf of the university during his visit: , a leading Korean gaming company with which �鶹��Ƶ Korea—which offers �鶹��Ƶ’s Computer Game Design, BFA—has been working closely with during the past two years, and one��with Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, a top-ranking university in Seoul, whereby the two leading universities agreed to explore areas for collaboration.

Washington likewise met with executives of Samsung Biologics, including its Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, a Korea-based �鶹��Ƶ Korea advisory board member and a generous donor to �鶹��Ƶ Korea. At the meeting, Washington, �鶹��Ƶ Korea leadership, and the Samsung Biologics executives discussed areas of potential collaboration. Songdo, Korea, where �鶹��Ƶ Korea is located, is a major hub for bio manufacturing, with many large biopharmaceutical companies located a short distance from campus.

Executives of KEPCO, South Korea’s largest electric utility and a Global Fortune 500 company, met with Washington and members of the campus’ senior leadership to discuss further areas for collaboration. �鶹��Ƶ Korea is currently offering an executive education program to some of KEPCO’s international managers. The president additionally met with senior officials at the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund, headquartered in Songdo, and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

Exploring Songdo and Incheon

In between events and meetings, there was time to enjoy some of the pleasures of Korea, including a tour of Songdo.

Washington and Matz, along with the U.S. advisory board members, also visited nearby Heungryunsa Buddhist Temple and the Memorial Hall for the Incheon Landing Operation during the Korean War. Nearly 100 �鶹��Ƶ Korea students, faculty, and staff joined President Washington at a Korean baseball league game at a nearby stadium in Incheon.

�鶹��Ƶ Korea’s student band SKETCH sang the Korean national anthem at the game’s start, conducted by �鶹��Ƶ Korea Professor Kimberlie Fair.��

For more photos of President Washington's visit, click .����

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