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Main building of the KAIST Business School in Seoul |
 By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporters
KAIST Business School, which has introduced MBA programs for the first time in Korea, plans to invite more top-class students from around the world and nurture them as talents for Korean companies back in their home countries.
Ravi Kumar, dean of the graduate school, said the higher education institute would expand partnerships with top-notch MBA schools in countries where many Korean corporations have made advances.
In an interview with The Korea Times, last Thursday, Kumar said the business school could funnel tailored-made talent to Korean companies through joint programs with overseas partners.
"If a Korean business is successful in China but not able to hire top Chinese students for management as (many of them) might want to join other global companies, how can we hire the best students for our Korean companies?" Kumar said.
"(The answer is having) partnerships with top universities such as dual degree programs. (The students) can spend a year there and come here for their second year for internship programs at Korean companies and Korean courses in order to experience and understand Korean culture.
"Korean Companies take them back this way and we can funnel great talents to our companies for their human resources. At the same time, we can globalize our classes by having better outstanding Chinese students here. Our faculty also can work together with partnered universities. This is a way to globalize KAIST and help our companies and our partnerships."
Under the plan, the dean is currently seeking to establish ties with two or three prestigious universities in China, including Nanjing University, and expand partnerships with universities around the world, including in India, the U.S. and European countries where Korean companies currently operate.
"It could be a truly global program and, at the same time, outstanding students could work for Korean companies," he said.
Kumar served as vice dean at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC) in the United States. The Indian professor is well known for contributing to the globalization of the American school by introducing various programs. Graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1974, he went on to earn his master's degree at Northwestern University in 1981 and majored in production strategies and business management at the Marshall School of Business.
He came to Korea for the first time in 1991 for research on Korean and Asian companies and came here again with students in 1995 for exchange programs with the KAIST Business School.
"Almost 10 years ago Korea was suffering from the IMF crisis, everyone was in trouble, but they soon recovered. This was part of my ongoing research project. That's why I came here last year but I wasn't looking for a job because I already had a good job in Los Angeles," he said.
"At that time, KAIST President Seo Nam-pyo, invited me to have a talk with him and offered me the position as dean of this great school. It was an honor for me." Kumar took office in July this year on a two-year contract.
KAIST Business School, established in 1996, is the first MBA school with accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. It has been a pioneer in the MBA field in Korea. The school is running a variety of master's and Ph.D. programs, including Techno-MBA, IMBA, Finance-MBA, Information Media-MBA and Executive MBA programs with some 750 students. It also runs tailored-made non-degree programs in accordance to the needs from companies.
"It is very important to commercialize technique and engineering products. Our students are technically very strong. We are also strong in fundamental business education, team building and mentoring programs," he said. "All our students have their lab spaces and work closely with faculty staff and other students."
Every student is assigned to a specific laboratory and is provided an individual workspace. Students socialize, work together, communicate with each other and do research projects in their lab, under the guidance of a supervising professor. The school also boasts high graduate employment rates. In 2006, all of the graduates succeeded in gaining employment. The school also has the nation's largest number of alumni in MBA fields.
Kumar said the school is not only globalized for the diversity of faculty members and students but also for the topics the schools are dealing with.
"Students and faculty members need to learn how to respect other cultures and communicate with people around the world. We have a long way to go to achieve globalization," Kumar said.
While Betty Chung, a visiting professor specializing in organization and leadership, was taking part in the interview with Kumar, she said, "The perspective I am bringing in to help students is how to lead, mange, supervise, communicate and negotiate with people all over the world."
Regarding his goals for the business school, Kumar said, "I am not looking at just Korean MBA schools; I am looking across Asia at the best schools. My competition is not here." Also, he warned that many Korean MBA schools do not have double degree programs with renowned overseas schools."
Lastly, he stressed that globalization doesn't equate to using English, saying he is learning Korean nowadays. "I am learning Korean with our (foreign) students in Korean language classes. Internationalism doesn't mean English. It means multilingual. I show my respects to Korean culture while working with faculty here."
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
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