February 2012

In December, Stony Brook University Provost, Dennis N. Assanis, gave a wide-ranging interview on SUNY Korea, study abroad, his history with Korea and China, and his plans for the future. An expressive speaker with an easy, unforced smile, he emanates Old World warmth and charm. From this interview, I was able to grasp the breadth of decision-making that went into the SUNY Korea initiative, as well as gain insight into Provost Assanis’ interdisciplinary and collaborative ideas for study abroad programming at Stony Brook.

SUNY Korea, a limited liability corporation authorized by the SUNY Chancellor and Trustees, allows SBU to offer graduate degree programs in Korea. According to Provost Assanis, “this is an extremely important initiative for Stony Brook, as well as for SUNY, because it sets us on a course that is more aligned with our future globalization strategies and further positions Stony Brook on the international higher education stage.”

Funded by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the Incheon Free Economic Zone and the Metropolitan City of Incheon, SUNY Korea, LLC will offer graduate degrees - with a strong focus on research - in Computer Science, Information Systems and Technology Systems Management. Faculty in Songdo will comprise a combination of faculty that reside in Korea and faculty from Stony Brook University. SUNY Korea facilities, which include residence halls, classrooms, a library, laboratories, etc., are already completed and can accommodate approximately 2,000 students. Academic programs begin in March 2012 with a target enrollment of up to 200 students in the first year.

SUNY Korea is a very natural next step in fostering Stony Brook’s academic relationship with Korea. SBU currently partners with 15 Korean universities to offer its students a broad selection of international exchange programs. SBU has established CEWIT Korea; and now, the graduate degrees in Engineering and Technology & Society that will be offered at SUNY Korea will enable Stony Brook to advance even further this highly successful international academic and research partnership. For example, SUNY Korea, in collaboration with the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), has been awarded a 20 percent allocation of $50 million over 10 years under a Ministry of Knowledge Economy grant for “Fostering Premium IT Professionals.”

From this interview with Provost Assanis, I was able to discern the ways in which his past experience at the University of Michigan with two similar initiatives - one in China and one in Korea - gives him a unique perspective on SUNY Korea. As Chair of the University of Michigan’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dennis Assanis promoted the systematic exchange of faculty and students with strategically selected global partners, notably with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology. 

For example, Dr. Assanis played a significant role in expanding the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UMSJTUJI). It had started as a small program with faculty exchanges in his Mechanical Engineering department, and while he was Chair, this initiative grew into a campus-wide program and, eventually, a joint institute matriculating more than 800 students.

As the Director of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI), Dennis Assanis developed strong international partnerships with first-class peer institutions with the strategic objective of tackling global energy and sustainability problems. For instance, MMPEI has significantly contributed to the expansion of the UM-Shanghai Jiao Tong University educational collaboration to encompass joint research in renewable energy. With Tsinghua University and other Chinese and U.S. partners in academia, industry and national labs, MMPEI, under the leadership of Dennis Assanis, won the competition for establishing the highly visible U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center on Clean Vehicles funded with over $50M over five years.

There are a number of visionaries at SBU and in Korea working on SUNY Korea and CEWIT Korea. This endeavor not only builds on Stony Brook’s already notable reputation in the higher education sector, but also further advances the institution’s international academic and research partnerships and allows SBU to stimulate economic development in another region of our global community. This initiative is a significant achievement for SBU and for SUNY.

by Wilson Jiang

Special Series: SUNY Korea  www.aaezine.org/SUNYKorea/