Latest SUNY campus to open in South Korea

ALBANY -- The newest State University of New York campus is 6,750 miles from the state.

SUNY Korea is scheduled to begin offering classes next year with an initial enrollment of 200. It will be located in Songdo, South Korea.

The school will offer graduate degrees in computer science, information systems and technology systems management. It is a partnership between Stony Brook University, SUNY and the South Korean government.

"Korea is home to the fastest growing economy in the world and is a leader in information technology and computer science," SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said in a statement. "SUNY's presence there allows us to better engage Korean businesses and corporations, creating opportunity for students and faculty abroad and at home."

Zimpher said she hopes other SUNY schools will also offer coursework at the campus. Instruction will be in English and follow SUNY academic standards. The program is designed to be revenue-neutral, Stony Brook President Sam Stanley said.

"SUNY Korea is a very natural next step in fostering Stony Brook's academic relationship with Korea," he said in a statement.

"We currently partner with 15 Korean universities to offer our students a broad selection of international exchange programs." The new campus will be operated by SUNY Korea, LLC. It is funded by the Korean government's Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the Incheon Free Economic Zone and the Metropolitan City of Incheon.

The development is part of a $35 billion effort by the Korean government to establish an international business district, similar to Hong Kong, about 40 miles from Seoul. The school will be located within the Songdo International Business District, one of the largest private development projects in history. The district is built on a man-made island near the airport and will include 80,000 apartments, 50 million square feet of office space and 10 million square feet of retail.

The new campus would effectively mean that South Korean students could earn a degree from an American school without ever needing a passport.

SUNY Korea will begin accepting applications this fall. Classes will be taught by Stony Brook professors as well Korean faculty who live locally. The student body will comprise SUNY and local students.

The SUNY board of trustees approved the establishment of the Korean campus in 2009. The 64-campus system has collaborations or programs, including dual-language programs and scholar exchanges, with 50 countries around the world.

Classes are scheduled to begin in March, the start of the Korean school year. Reach Scott Waldman at 454-5080 or swaldman@timesunion.com. Follow him at www.Twitter.com/518Schools ---------- To see more of the Times Union, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesunion.com.

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