Cornell University president on Korean ties, international students and bridging cultures

K-campus

Published: 06 Apr. 2024, 07:00

Cornell University president on Korean ties, international students and bridging cultures

Martha E. Pollack, the 14th president of Cornell University [CORNELL UNIVERSITY]

Although Korean universities are seeing their international student population rise, it's still nowhere close to the diverse environment of universities in the United States.

Cornell University is one of the institutions home to students of many different nationalities, with international students making up 26 percent of its student body as of the Fall 2023 semester.

Students from Asia make up the largest international student cohort by region. Among the group, 346 students are from Korea.

"Cornell’s international students and scholars bring global cultures, diverse perspectives and immense intellectual energy to campus," said Martha E. Pollack, the 14th president of Cornell University, in a recent email interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

"One of Cornell's core values is to create a community of belonging — a rich, diverse campus environment where students, faculty and staff can share their different backgrounds, experiences and skills, and learn and work in an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship."

Despite the United States continuing to lose Chinese students, the country's largest source of international students, for three consecutive years, Cornell remains mostly unaffected by the trend.

According to the U.S. Institute of International Education, there were 289,526 Chinese students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions in the 2022/23 academic year, slipping down 0.2 percent from the previous year. The figure fell 8.6 percent in the 2021/22 year and 14.8 percent in the 2020/21 year.

"I can’t speak to decreased enrollment at other universities, but at Cornell, the number of Chinese students enrolled as undergraduate, graduate and professional students has remained fairly consistent after the immediate impact of the pandemic," said Pollack. "Along with students from Korea, they play a significant role in fostering a diverse community of scholars."

With many Cornell alumni coming from the Asia Pacific region, Pollack is visiting Seoul for the university's 2024 Asia-Pacific Leadership Conference between April 5 and 7.

The annual conference is held in various regions across Asia Pacific, allowing alumni to gather and discuss timely topics. This year's conference in Seoul celebrates entrepreneurs at Cornell, as well as delving into discussions about AI and media.

The following are excerpts of the email interview with Pollack, edited for length and clarity.

You are visiting Seoul for the 2024 Asia-Pacific Leadership Conference, meeting alumni entrepreneurs in the region. Could you share some alumni with a presence in Korea, and how Cornell University's programs have supported the emergence of many entrepreneurs?

As an institution, we are committed to preparing students who will lead future innovation that will change the world. Entrepreneurship, supported by Cornell’s interdisciplinary research enterprise, is an integral part of that model. We are deeply committed to the transfer of knowledge and discoveries, the commercialization of new technology, sustainable economic development and job creation, all of which improve the quality of life for people and communities spanning the globe.

At Cornell, we find and foster the entrepreneurial spirit in students in every field of study and every stage of life with a diverse, universitywide entrepreneurship program. Individuals who exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit can connect with a variety of resources, from the Runway Startups program at Cornell Tech to the Kessler Fellows Program, and develop the know-how to help their careers in any working environment from the smallest startup to the largest business, from nonprofits to government agencies.

With Cornell’s vast alumni network — providing mentorship, guidance and opportunity — Cornell’s newest entrepreneurs have a sizable advantage, including here in Korea where more than 1,200 Cornell alumni are active members of the Cornell Club of Korea. Among notable alumni in Korea are Amorepacific Chair Suh Kyung-bae and GH Partners Chief Executive Im Chae-wook. Panelists at this year’s alumni conference here in Seoul include alumna Anna Sung, CFO of Coupang Eats, and Lee Do-kyung, founder and chief business officer at MarqVision.

Korean universities have recently seen an increase in the number of international students and are hoping to attract more. How does Cornell, being a diverse university, help its international students adjust, and what initiatives do you think Korean universities should adopt to also ensure a welcoming environment for international students?

From the time international students arrive on campus, they are supported in ways that enable them to thrive academically and socially and remain on track for their degrees. “Prepare” is the Office of Global Learning's pre-orientation program for new international undergraduates. It gives them an early start on their Cornell experience by introducing a range of campus resources to meet their unique needs and helping them connect with other international students before Cornell's all-student orientation. An orientation is also held for international graduate and professional students.

Campus and federal-level support includes immigration and employment advising and services, advocacy for students whose home countries have been touched by conflict and disaster and a variety of campus inclusion activities.

Cornell has more than 100 student organizations with an international focus. The Korean Graduate Student Association is one of the largest graduate student associations at Cornell, with over 350 members, including graduate students, postdoctoral associates, faculty and visiting scholars.

Having such a large number of international students, creating a safe environment for them is also important. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is one of the incidents that have been affecting students on campus, with many exposed to hate speech. What does Cornell do to ensure the safety of students, and how have students been responding?

The Cornell community on our campuses and around the world includes students, faculty, staff and alumni who are Israeli, Palestinian and others who have close ties to the Middle East. As the conflict in the region continues, many of us continue to be directly impacted. My leadership team and I have tried to meet this moment with grace, empathy and resolve, and the overwhelming majority of Cornell faculty, staff and students have responded in kind. We have had several demonstrations, of between 50 and 150 people, along with other events such as vigils and teach-ins, in which students gathered to express their opinions. Despite strong emotions among the students who have participated in these activities, all have been peaceful.

There are a lot of opportunities for Cornell students to come and study in Korea, such as the Korea Travel Grant program or the exchange program with Yonsei University. How popular are those programs for Cornell students, and what about Korea do you think attracts those students?

Korea remains a very popular international study destination for Cornell students for several reasons. As you mentioned, the East-Asian Travel Grant program has been a great resource for graduate students interested in conducting research abroad. Likewise, Yonsei University has been a tremendous partner. Both in terms of the cultural experiences available in the heart of Seoul and the opportunity to study and take classes side-by-side with full-time Korean students.

We have a vlog of a Cornell student’s experience at Yonsei [on the Cornell Department of Communication's YouTube channel]. Adelle, a communication major, talks about how her connection to the local culture in and out of the classroom affects her perspective on how communications can be culture-specific, including the influence of K-pop. More than 30 Cornell students have studied at Yonsei in recent years, and we also send students to several other institutions.

Cornell formally launched Global Hubs in 2022, now working with 11 locations worldwide. How does the Global Hub system offer opportunities for Cornell students and has the university considered Korea for one of its hub locations?

Cornell Global Hubs is an innovative, high-impact initiative that strategically expands the university’s international footprint and includes partnerships with 19 network partners in 11 locations. In addition, Cornell has a wide range of partnerships worldwide that include research and study abroad. We don't have a Hub in Korea at this time, but Korea is a valued student exchange partner for Cornell, with connections to multiple academic partners.

Many students in Korea have a strong preference toward majors with promising career prospects such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) or business, while humanities and arts struggle. As a university that offers programs from many academic fields, does Cornell see similar trends? What strategies do you believe will be beneficial for universities navigating this landscape?

We are a university where, in the words of our founders, “any person can find instruction in any study.” Cornell offers nearly 80 formal majors, as well as many dual-degree programs and interdisciplinary majors that cross traditional departmental boundaries. We are building on a richly collaborative environment, drawing on humanities as well as STEM courses to encourage students to deepen their thinking beyond traditional academic boundaries.

The problems we seek to address in the world are not purely STEM or technical problems. Solving them requires skills like cultural awareness, connection and collaboration across differences, critical thinking and the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. The synergy between liberal arts and professional studies prepares our students to be successful, whatever their career paths.

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