Topics: President, International Education

June 6, 2008

President Jo Ann M. Gora is one of three Ball State representatives making a trip to China and Korea June 6 to 27. The main goal of the trip is to enhance existing relationships with Korean and Chinese universities and establish new ones. Ties between Ball State and institutions of higher education in East Asia are vital as the university's strategic plan calls for 5 percent of total enrollment to be comprised of international students by 2012 and a similar number of Ball State students to be participating in study-abroad programs.

President Gora, who is traveling at the invitation and expense of the host universities, will be accompanied by Ball State's Ken Holland, dean of the Rinker Center for International Programs, and S. Jae Park, senior advisor for international education. Also traveling is Roy Budd, executive director for Energize ECI and Gora's husband. He will represent the economic development priorities of Indiana and Energize ECI is paying for his travels.

This is President Gora's second trip to the region as Ball State's president. She was the sole higher education representative during Gov. Mitch Daniels' economic development trip to Japan and Taiwan in 2005.

Highlights of this trip include the president receiving an honorary doctoral degree from Yeungnam University in Korea and her speech at a graduation ceremony for students completing the 1+2+1 dual degree program at Yunnan University in China. At several stops, she will present fellow university presidents with the Ball State President's Medal for Leadership in International Education, a pewter medallion depicting the statue Beneficence. Pewter Ball State plates will be given to senior university officials and other key individuals.

Itinerary Highlights

South Korea

Pusan—June 7-9

The president departs June 6, arriving June 7 in Pusan, South Korea. She will visit Pusan University of Foreign Studies (PUFS) to co-sign a document with PUFS' new president, Sun-Guy You, establishing a new sister relationship between the two schools. The institutions are working on a joint degree program and the possibility of PUFS students taking intensive training in English at Ball State. She also will have breakfast June 8 with several Korean Ball State alumni.

Daegu—June 10-11

President Gora travels to Yeungnam University, with an enrollment of more than 25,000 and located in Kyongsan. Ball State and Yeungnam have enjoyed a cooperative relationship since 1968, and YU officials are holding a series of events celebrating the 40th anniversary of this exchange. YU regularly hosts the Far East summer studies program and other official delegations of faculty and students from Ball State. Five members of the current YU faculty are Ball State graduates. President Gora also will receive an honorary doctoral degree from Yeungnam University as part of her official itinerary.

Seoul—June 11-14

Following the ceremony, President Gora travels to the capital city of Seoul for visits at Korea University (June 11) and Kyunghee University (June 13). Ball State signed a cooperative agreement with Korea University, one of the top two or three universities in the country, in 2007. The president will meet with the university's executive team. Ball State has been associated with Kyunghee University since 1987. It also has hosted Far East summer studies programs and other official faculty and student exchanges with Ball State. While in Seoul, President Gora also will meet with the chief executive officer of LG Electronics (June 14) and the president of the World Tae Kwan Do Federation (June 12). The powerful sports federation's current head, President Chungwon Choue, is the former president of Kyunghee University; he received an honorary degree from Ball State in 2001. On June 14, she will attend a breakfast with current Ball State students from South Korea and their families and a dinner with local Ball State alumni.

China

Beijing—June 15-17

President Gora will meet with government officials and visit the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE), the organization that coordinates the 1+2+1 dual-degree program, as well as the president of the Tianjin Institute of Physical Education, which is seeking exchanges of faculty and students with Ball State. She will also have opportunities to visit historic and cultural sites, including The Forbidden City and The Great Wall.

Shanghai—June 18-19

President Gora will visit Shanghai Normal University (SNU), which has hosted Ball State exchange programs since 1987. She will meet with several SNU faculty who have visited Ball State during these exchange programs. The president also will attend a June 19 Ball State alumni gathering.

Guangzhou—June 20-22

President Gora will meet with science and technology officials at the Guang Dong Science Center.

Kunming—June 23-24

The president will participate in roundtable discussions with both Chinese and U.S. university presidents on the 1+2+1 dual-degree program and other issues of campus internationalization. Since 2004, Ball State has participated in the 1+2+1 program, coordinated by CCIEE and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), which she serves as the Indiana state representative. Under the program, qualified Chinese students study for a year at their home campus, continue their studies for two more years at Ball State, then return to their Chinese campus for their senior year and receive degrees from both institutions. The president also will speak at the first 1+2+1 graduation to involve Ball State students. These two students will receive their degree in the ceremony at Yunnan University.

Hong Kong—June 25-27

President Gora will visit officials from Early Light, including a Ball State alumnus, to begin the Six Sigma program for company employees. The program, offered via distance education, will give the employees a chance to earn one of the most popular credentials in business today.