IAUP helps universities worldwide globalize, promote cosmopolitan education

K-campus

Published: 26 Sep. 2023, 16:21 Updated: 26 Sep. 2023, 16:56

IAUP helps universities worldwide globalize, promote cosmopolitan education

Fernando Leon-Garcia, president of the International Association of University Presidents, speaks during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. [SEOUL CYBER UNIVERSITY]

Offering quality education through renowned faculty and well-designed programs is what eventually allows universities to become international academic institutions.

Rather than having universities do that alone, the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) helps institutions worldwide achieve that goal.

"Any institution that's serious about quality will eventually go beyond its borders and into the international arena," Fernando Leon-Garcia, president of IAUP and president of Cetys Universidad in Mexico, said. "It means more people [will] know your institution, your faculty will go [abroad], and you'll have joint projects."

One of its programs is the Borderless Professor Initiative, giving $1,000 in grants to selected professors at IAUP member universities who wish to teach classes in countries abroad.

Universities and students have become more accustomed to online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and physically teaching abroad isn't the only option for faculty selected for the program. Teaching online is another option, which IAUP believes will allow more students worldwide to be taught by talented faculty.

Leon-Garcia sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily during his recent visit to Korea, ahead of the IAUP Semi-Annual Meeting in Japan, to talk about Korean universities' efforts for globalization and what IAUP can offer to help.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. One of the key missions of Korean universities is achieving internationalization. How do you define internationalization, and how do you evaluate Korea's efforts?

A. Korean universities have been interested in bringing international students. Given the demographic trends, it's something very important because, eventually, there will be more spots at universities than Korean students. So it's also for the well-being and survival of the Korean higher education system.

It's very important to bring students, but true internationalization doesn't stop there. One of the challenges beyond resolving the domestic challenge is how it can encourage more Korean students to go out, either physically or virtually. I think that's an area that it will have to tackle better.

True internationalization involves faculty and students coming and going in both directions, sometimes online. It also involves global perspectives and the university educating its personnel to be sensitive to students and faculty coming and going.

Hiring faculty from abroad is one thing that Korean universities struggle with due to visa restrictions or other living standards. How effective is the borderless professor program?

The program offers a huge opportunity. Institutions that don't have the resources to host professors from abroad can have professors from other countries more flexibly and economically.

One example is Cetys University. We're located near the border between California and Baja California in Mexico and have a lot of students and faculty that go back and forth. One of the things we wanted to see was if professors could spend more time at our university teaching and interacting more with students. What we found was that many of the good professors can't leave their university for long. But with technology, they can make time to interact with students in other countries. So we've been able to increase the number of professors who are not from Mexico who can teach our students, enriching the learning experience and enhancing internationalization. By using technology, institutions can expand the scope of their curriculum. Even if it's an area they do teach, they can teach it in English or other foreign languages.

During the semi-annual IAUP meeting in Cairo, forming international partnerships between universities was stressed. Do you think Korean universities have been active enough in pursuing partnerships with other educational institutions abroad?

I think there's always room for more. Leading Korean universities are very international. But international exchange shouldn't just be between leading institutions and leading institutions. It's about leading institutions being socially responsible in the higher education arena, seeking partnerships beyond just their peers and going into other cross segments.

As president of Cetys University, are there any partnerships you are interested in? And in what areas could Korean universities start forming partnerships with universities in Mexico?

We look at who has strong linkages with the industry. Of course, that's the big companies like Samsung and Hyundai. So Korean universities are very interesting to us. Some universities are very global, so we're open to collaborations. Not everybody is ready for technology-based interactions, and that's why we're also looking into Seoul Cyber University. There are some universities that are very good, but they only provide face-to-face education.

There are also possible areas of partnership for Korean universities. Mexico is Korea's sixth-largest trading partner and the biggest one in Latin America. There's an opportunity for Korean universities with connections with companies that operate abroad. They could look for partnership opportunities with Mexican universities or universities in Latin America.

IAUP offers a lot of training programs for higher education leaders. Compared to similar programs offered at other institutions, what makes IAUP's stand out?

We recently hosted the Seminar on Leadership Development for New Presidents and Emerging Leaders. One of the things we've learned is that more needs to be done with respect to incoming leaders at educational institutions. We need to ensure that the new ones coming in receive the type of support that will allow them to face challenges, present solutions and improve their educational environment.

So what do we do in those seminars? We gather leading educators and university leaders worldwide to be speakers, and they can be mentors for incoming leaders at educational institutions. We also have a program in which we review the financial aspects of higher education, technology, teaching and learning, innovation, university-industry linkage, fundraising, public relations and marketing for academic institutions.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]