Incheon Global Campus offers alternative to studying abroad

Paek Ki-hun, CEO of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation / Courtesy of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation

By Lee Hyo-jin

Incheon Global Campus (IGC) is a viable alternative for students who want to study abroad but have been unable due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it offers high-quality education programs of prestigious foreign universities, in which students can expand their global networks, according to the head of the campus Thursday.

"We will produce world-class global leaders through our excellent educational programs and global industry-academia cooperation using Incheon City's abundant industrial resources," said Paek Ki-hun, who took office as CEO of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation last September.

IGC, located on Incheon's Songdo, is the country's first shared campus of leading foreign universities, established through joint efforts by the central government and Incheon Metropolitan City.

Established in 2012, the campus aims to attract 10 universities and 10,000 students. The first phase of the project has been completed with the opening of SUNY Korea Stony Brook and FIT University, George Mason University Korea, Ghent University Global Campus, and University of Utah Asia Campus.

Students appreciate the option to study and earn degrees from global universities without going abroad. They are attracted by the high-quality education provided at the same level as at the home campus. In addition, they can form a wider network with foreign universities through credit exchanges and participating in international events.

IGC had faced difficulties in conducting industry-academia cooperation activities due to legal regulations in the past. But as revision bills on the Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation Promotion Act were passed in March this year, it plans to strengthen industry-university cooperation using Incheon's industrial resources.

"Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) is an excellent location with abundant resources for global industry-academia cooperation such as U.N. organizations including GCF and World Bank, some 800 global companies, bio clusters and resort complexes," Paek explained.

The campus' student-based response to the coronavirus pandemic has also gained attention in recent months. It managed to carry out the spring semester with about 3,200 students from 40 countries. It has continued to provide on-site lectures for classes that require face-to-face contact such as classes involving hands-on activities.

"It was possible through students' effort, voluntarily practicing infection control regulations. Universities have formed a COVID-19 response team to respond organically, and some provided emergency subsidies to students in economic crisis," Paek said.

Although IGC has begun the fall semester via online classes due to the resurgence of infections, the campus has made sure that the students' right to study is guaranteed. Libraries and lecture halls are open and the use of common facilities such as dormitories and cafeterias is allowed for all students.

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