1. The new Mason Korea operates in the state-of-the-art Songdo Global University Campus in Incheon, a modern city one hour outside Seoul, and a world-class technology, transportation and international trade hub.
2. Mason Korea is part of a strategic initiative, supported by the Korean government, to further internationalize Korea’s already excellent higher education system. Mason Korea will bring new options to Korean students and to students from many other Asian countries interested in a global education.
3. Mason Korea is part of a hub that includes other prestigious universities like SUNY, University of Utah and Ghent University, just across the street from a new residential campus of one of Korea’s leading institutions: Yonsei University. Other exciting partners are planned to be joining our neighborhood in the near future. The newly built Incheon neighborhood where the campus is growing in leaps and bounds, with new residential and business buildings coming up every day in the blink of an eye.
4. Mason Korea will contribute to increase the number of students from Korea and other Asian countries on our campuses in Northern Virginia, thus helping to further internationalize our campus.
5. Mason Korea will allow hundreds of Mason students to have a meaningful and potentially transformational global learning experience without any of the complications and costs associated with other exchange and study abroad programs. By the way, dorm fees are lower at Mason Korea than they are at home. If students plan things well, they may save enough in room and board to pay for the flight and break even while experiencing a terrific part of Asia.
6. Mason Korea will allow Mason to intensify our relations with companies in one of the most innovative economies in the world.
7. Korean food is delicious and Korean pop culture (K-Pop) is spreading throughout Asia. Not just did Psy (who last year performed at the Patriot Center) famously make us all learn his funny dance, now Korean soap operas like “Love from a Star” are the rave all over Asia (and apparently have Chinese officials scrambling to figure out their secret sauce).
8. Mason Korea will create exciting research opportunities for our faculty and will enable our various colleges to experiment with new global programs.
9. Mason Korea is a stone throw away from one of the best airports in Asia. In less than 3.5 hours you can reach about one third of the world’s population from there. And you can fly direct to Dulles!
10. If the first class of Mason Korea students–about 40 strong including Korean and American students–is any indication of the caliber and energy of future classes, we can be confident that Mason Nation is not only going global but becoming stronger thanks to Mason Korea. I can’t wait to see it evolve in years to come!
Many more reasons are articulated by Mason Provost Peter Stearns. Korea Times ran stories in January and yesterday (thank you for the photo!).
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