By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) sees stronger partnership with Seoul National University (SNU) as vital for its plan to expand Korean studies, said Gene D. Block, 60, chancellor of the American university. The partnership is expected to provide SNU with a toehold for its plan to set up a branch in L.A.
``We will set up platforms for many interactions with different schools. It is exclusive for SNU among Korean universities,'' Block said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The top Korean university plans to establish a branch in L.A. by 2010 and send more faculties and students there as a part of efforts toward globalization. UCLA plans to give more opportunities to its students to experience various programs including internship in cooperation with SNU.
To this extent, the chancellor signed two memorandums of understanding with SNU president Lee Jang-moo, Monday. ``We want to exchange faculties and students in the area of Korea studies. We are also very anxious to discuss other areas such as engineering and medicine,'' Block said.
Block is scheduled to leave for Japan on Tuesday after a two-day visit to Seoul. It is his third visit here but first as chancellor.
Block stressed the importance of Korean studies and Korean students to his university. ``Our interest in Korea is natural. We live in a community where there is a very strong presence of Korean Americans who are so vital for the future of LA, they have connections back here,'' he said.
UCLA has the largest Korean studies center with the strongest Korean studies program. Some 700 Korean students and about 1,600 Korean American students attend the university, accounting for 6.5 percent of all students there.
The new agreement will double exchanges with SNU. ``We are very interested in Korean studies being linked to Northeast Asian studies in China and Japan. What we can do with SNU faculties is to expand our Korean studies to Northeast Asian studies,'' he said.
Commenting on recent protest against U.S. beef imports, he said, ``Korea and U.S. have an enormously strong relationship. There are always going to be sensitive issues, my prediction is that next year you will have to think back hard to remember this issue.''
Established in 1919, UCLA is the most popular public university in the United States. More than 55,000 students applied for admission in 2008. It raised $370 million last year, becoming one of the top 10 universities in terms of fundraising. About 38 percent of its students are under scholarships provided by the government.
For Korean students hoping to study at the university, Block said ``show your passion and leadership through essays.'' He gained a bachelor's degree in psychology from Stanford University in 1970 and a master's and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Oregon in 1975. Having served as vice president and a provost at the University of Virginia, he became the chancellor of UCLA in August, 2007.