By Kang Shin-who
While the nation’s top universities are striving to send more students overseas as part of their globalization drive, the Catholic University of Korea is transforming its campus into a center for “inbound” globalization.
Under the leadership of Fr. Johan Pahk Yeong-sik, president of the university, the school has introduced an intensive English emersion program, named “Global English Outreach (GEO).”
The university requires all freshmen to live in the English language dormitory which can accommodate 1,200 students and professors. They should use only English around the clock under the program that usually runs for about a month.
The dormitory, named “Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan International Center,” was established last August at its Songsim campus, located in Bucheon, west of Seoul.
“We initiated the GEO program with the aim of improving students’ spoken English. They are supposed to think and talk in English under the GEO program,” Pahk said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The university runs the GEO program year round in the international residence, where Korean students can stay together with foreign students and professors.
“Students are required to speak only in English, so I hope the program helps them to talk in English even in their dreams,” Pahk added.
Students are divided into five groups according to their proficiency levels. Also, a variety of events, such as English speech, essay writing and presentation contests take place.
The school boasts a strong network with hundreds of other Catholic universities around the world _ there are some 650 Catholic universities worldwide. Currently, the university is running partnership programs with 96 universities in 15 countries and plans to further expand the international partnership.
In addition, the university has a growing number of foreign students and English-only lectures. This year, the number of foreign students increased more than three times from a year earlier, with English-only lectures more than doubled.
It has been recognized by the education ministry for its quality education programs and won the government’s special funding for two consecutive years.
In addition, the ministry has acknowledged the university for its admissions policy and recently it has been selected as one of 11 “education-oriented” universities.