Big week for Flemish campuses in South Korea
While Ban Ki-Moon and Queen Mathilde attend a climate change seminar at Ghent’s campus in Songdo, UCLL signs a co-operation agreement with leading South Korean business school SolBridge
‘Really impressed’
The GUGC opened in 2014 in Songdo, the purpose-built international business district on the north-east coast of South Korea. The campus is home to local students and visiting Flemish students and researchers.
Its focus is on the life sciences, such as biotechnology, green chemistry and environmental technology. UGent and local authorities are co-operating to make the campus an Asian hub in life sciences and bio-industrial education and research.
“Ghent University is one of the world's leading universities and the first European university in Korea,” said Ban at the seminar. “I am confident that students here will be equipped to be thinkers and doers who can tackle the challenges of the future.”
Fast-track in Daejeon
The seminar on the circular economy, sustainable mobility and climate change was aimed at academics and opened by Ban together with UGent rector Rik Van de Walle. Queen Mathilde was in attendance and spoke with students following the seminar.
“It was quite an honour to have the queen visit our campus,” said two students in a statement. “She was calm and confident and helped us overcome our nervousness. She asked us about the sustainability goals and wanted to emphasise the importance of education. She stayed much longer than planned; she clearly wanted to have a thorough conversation with us. We talked for about an hour, and we were really impressed.”
Further south in Daejeon, UCLL – based in Leuven and with campuses in five Flemish cities – signed a co-operation agreement with the SolBridge International School of Business. The agreement ensures that UCLL students with a degree in Advanced Business Management can obtain a master’s degree at SolBridge via a fast-track programme. “This agreement fits perfectly with the goals for our students, that they become the expert managers of tomorrow,” said UCLL general-director Marc Vandewalle.
The agreement between the institutions also allows exchange programmes of students and staff in both directions. “Both SolBridge and UCLL embrace our global roles,” said Vandewalle. “We share a vision of qualitative education and research methods of which professional expertise from the business world is an essential part. UCLL also believes in South Korea as a fast-growing and essential part of the modern economy, in which SolBridge plays a shining role.”
Photos: Top, Queen Mathilde and Ban Ki-Loon cause a stir at Ghent University Global Campus (©courtesy UGent); above, SolBridge International School of Business in Daejeon (©courtesy CSUMB)
Ghent University
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first female student admitted
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