Offering global learning experience

George Mason University President Angel Cabrera, center, joins freshmen in celebrating the opening of the school’s Songdo campus in Incheon, Monday. Cabrera visited Korea March 8-12 to attend the ceremony. / Courtesy of Gearge Mason University Korea

George Mason University celebrates opening of Songdo campus

Ángel Cabrera, president of George Mason University

By Bahk Eun-ji

George Mason University (GMU) President Ángel Cabrera said the school’s campus in Sondgo, Incheon, will create a high-quality global education environment for Korean students.

“The Songdo campus will benefit from direct interactions with our outstanding research faculty, our close attention to the quality of their overall student experience and the opportunity to study in two remarkable nations — Korea and the U.S.” Cabrera told The Korea Times, Monday.

He also said the school will offer opportunities to build networks of professional contacts and deep friendships in the two countries.

Cabrera visited Korea March 8-12 to celebrate the official opening of the Songdo campus. It started its first classes for two departments — economics and ㅡmanagement — on March 3.

The educator said he has made sure that students in Korea can get the same quality of education as those on the Fairfax campus in Virginia.

He pointed out GMU is focused on hands-on, experiential learning, which means students take the concepts they’ve learned in the classroom and apply them to their internships, and later full-time positions.

“GMU Korea is visible proof of Mason’s commitment to creating a high-quality global education environment that spans the globe,” he said.

Cabrera believes a global mindset is the key characteristic of a “Mason identity.”

He said just as Korean students will get the opportunity to spend two semesters on the main campus and U.S.-based students will come to Songdo for a semester through the Fairfax Program as a part of an effort to facilitate the expansion of international educational opportunities and to ensure successful experiences.

“We are proud of our promise to provide a meaningful global learning experience for every student,” Cabrera said.

He added George Mason prides itself on being a university for the world, which prepares students to thrive in a global context by infusing global awareness, citizenship values and learning opportunities across all fields.

The following is an excerpt of The Korea Times’ interview with Cabrera.

Q: What made you open a global campus in Songdo? And what are the prospects of it becoming a regional education hub in Asia?

A:

We were very pleased when the Korean government approached us about the possibility of locating a campus in Songdo. George Mason University has a Korean student population of 129, and our main Fairfax campus is located in northern Virginia where most of the Washington, D.C., region’s nearly 100,000 Koreans live. We are also very aware of the importance of education in Korea, and we were excited by the idea of serving a nation that values education so highly. Moreover, Korean students are well known for their accomplishments, and we were attracted by the opportunity to serve such an outstanding student population.

Korean culture has a growing influence in the region, and Korean brands have become an important part of life for consumers throughout Asia and the world.

Q: Could you compare the education of the campus in Songdo with that of the U.S. campus? What kind of incentives or benefits can you provide for students admitted to the Songdo campus?

The atmosphere will be even more obviously global and international, with the added benefit of an advanced urban setting. We provide opportunities for imaginative combinations of Korean, Asian and American resources.

Q: How do you see the role of higher education institutions such as GMU Korea in positioning Korea as a regional leader in developing graduates that have the ability to be successful globally?

We see the Mason campus as a great opportunity to prepare graduates for a changing world. It allows students from many parts of the world, including Korea, East and Southeast Asia and America, to gain a greater sense of global perspectives and viewpoints as part of their education.

Creating an environment where students from all different backgrounds can thrive and learn together is an important part of George Mason’s mission. And when you combine that with level programs in fields such as management and economics, you end up with a considerable facility in some of the key sectors for the contemporary workforce.

Q: What do you think is your school’s strength in higher education? And how can students, especially Korean students, benefit from your unique education programs?

George Mason University prides itself on being a university for the world, which prepares students to thrive in a global context by infusing global awareness, citizenship values and learning opportunities across all fields.

We provide each student with transformational learning opportunities, and that is one of many reasons why Mason was recognized by Times Higher Education as being among the world’s 100 top universities founded within the past 50 years.

We are committed to the advance of knowledge and research of consequence that helps solve global problems. We are committed to diversity and community engagement.

Q: Why do you think students from your school have built successful careers after graduation worldwide?

There are several reasons why they are successful. We emphasize professional competence and provide frequent opportunities for internships. But we also focus on developing intangible and practical skills, such as critical thinking and research. That combination is a key reason our graduates succeed immediately when they enter a competitive job market. And it also helps them thrive throughout the rest of their career, providing them with skills to fall back on and the flexibility to adjust to what life throws at them.

We also seek students with qualities that point to success — strong intellect, high motivation, diligence and excellent work habits. Those are the very factors needed for professional excellence after graduation.

The evidence can be seen in the employment rate of George Mason’s graduating class of 2013. Two-thirds were employed at the time of graduation. And 45 percent of students who accepted jobs related to their career goals had some form of internship, practical or field experience.

Q: Do you think that what is learned in your school can be applied internationally?

Particularly in the global learning environment provided by the Korea campus. And it all comes back to the previous question about our students and their success rates. It’s not just about the topics you teach in the classroom. It’s about how you teach those topics, the environment you build, the opportunities you provide through research and internships and the diversity of students. We strive to provide them with a microcosm of the world they will enter.