SEMO AND KOREAN UNIVERSITY ENTER PACT; AGREEMENT CLEARS WAY FOR STUDENT, FACULTY EXCHANGES

A high school friendship has led to an agreement for cultural exchanges between Southeast Missouri State University and Kunsan National University in South Korea.

The cooperative agreement was signed in a luncheon ceremony Thursday attended by Southeast officials and Kyung Deuk Kwon, act~ing president of Kunsan National University in Kunsan, South Korea.

The agreement clears the way for student and faculty exchanges between the two schools.

Southeast faculty member Woo Sik Chung, who teaches social work, is a friend of Kwon.

"We went to the same high school together," said Chung. The idea for a cultural exchange between the two universities blossomed after Chung visited the South Korean university last spring.

Kunsan National University has about 6,000 students and 200 faculty members.

Kwon said his school already has exchange agreements with Mon~tana State University in Bozeman, Mont., and the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.

But this is the Korean school's first association with a midwestern university and Southeast's first such agreement with a university in that Asian nation.

Kwon said the association with Southeast will allow Korean students to experience "the traditional American culture."

Kala Stroup, Southeast's president, said, "This will provide an opportunity for our students and faculty to live and learn in Korea."

Marvin Swanson, director of international programs at Southeast, said the cooperative agreement with Kunsan National University is the Cape Girardeau school's first agreement with a South Korean university.

"Korea is particularly exciting for us," said Swanson, insisting it makes sense to have such a cultural exchange in light of South Korea's economic importance.

"Korea is one of our major economic trading partners. This is just a fantastic opportunity for us," he said.

In the last two years, Southeast has entered into exchange agreements with universities in Japan, The Netherlands, Sweden and Great Britain.

Such agreements, he said, are leading to exchanges of students and faculty.

Several Swedish and Dutch students, for example, are attending Southeast this year, he said. "We have students going over to Sweden," he added.

The groundwork for such exchanges goes back four or five years, said Swanson.

"All of this just doesn't happen in two years. It's been going on for a while."

Swanson said such exchange agreements make sense in today's global economy.

"In my opinion, the major change in higher education in this century will be the inclusion of a global perspective in higher education," he said. "You have to recognize the rest of the world."

Swanson said he eventually hopes the university can involve area business leaders in these cultural exchanges.