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South Korea Brings in Foreign Professors by the Thousands
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Thiuda



Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:01 am    Post subject: South Korea Brings in Foreign Professors by the Thousands Reply with quote

South Korea Brings in Foreign Professors by the Thousands��at a Cost

Unfortunately, I don't have a subscription, but the article looks very interesting. Does somebody have access to this article? Please share!

EDIT: Found the article - http://viet-studies.info/SouthKorea_ForeignProf_CHE.pdf


Last edited by Thiuda on Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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Hugo85



Joined: 27 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd like to see this too.
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ZIFA



Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:04 am    Post subject: Re: South Korea Brings in Foreign Professors by the Thousand Reply with quote

Thiuda wrote:

Unfortunately, I don't have a subscription


Me neither. On the lead-in you can see that the gist of it is saying that there are about 3500 foreign professors in Korea now, but there have also been problems caused by cultural differences.

here is a similar article from the Hankyoreh:

Influx of foreign professors creates new problems for universities

Fight for funding, verification process and ability to provide various services make it more difficult for universities to maintain foreign staff

Foreign professors are coming into South Korea en masse.

As the presence of foreign professors becomes regarded more and more as a symbol of a �global university,� universities are competing to bring them in. The government is also actively supporting the hiring of foreign professors, declaring that it will �develop universities at a global level.� The 3,432 full-time foreign professors currently lecturing at South Korean universities in 2008 account for 4.7 percent of all professors. Their numbers have increased by over 500 from last year, or 18 percent, and well over two times the 1,390 from five years ago.

Increase of 2.5 times from five years ago

The World Class University Project pursued by the new government this year at a cost of 825 billion won has fueled the competition to bring in foreign professors. If a university is selected in this project and hires an outstanding foreign scholar, the government provides support in areas such as personnel and research expenses.

Because Seoul National University, which had a total of 20 proposals selected this year, invited 59 foreign professors, a separate support team was to be set up for it on Wednesday, it has been revealed. An SNU official said, �We plan to build not only research facilities so that foreign professors can settle in early on, but also a system matched to each individual in areas such as housing and welfare.�

In order to strengthen the international competitiveness of national and public universities, the government established a goal last August of �increasing the number of foreign professors by more than 10 times by next year� and even set new foreign faculty hiring quotas for each university. A professor at one Seoul-area private university said, �The percentage of foreign professors and the attraction of famous scholars is becoming the main criterion for the government and companies� selection of targets for various kinds of support.� If a university is to be selected in just one or two areas, it needs to meet the competitive level of other universities, and foreign professors are also necessary to publicize the university�s status, the professor added.

Slipshod Verification of Quality and Ability

With universities wrapped up simply in bringing in foreign professors, there have been a number of cases where verification of quality and ability has been negligent. The selection of a professor from the United States for the WCU Project in the fields of the economy and business administration was cancelled after it was belatedly revealed that the individual in question had applied to both Korea University and Sogang University at the same time. This was a violation of a regulation forbidding overlapping applications for one project. �Several public announcements were made, and then this kind of thing happens,� lamented an official at Korea University, where the selection was cancelled.

Another foreign professor recently invited to Konkuk University is suspected of �double dissertation publication.� Also, in October, a foreigner hired as a full professor at SNU returned home unannounced a little over a month after starting lectures, citing difficulties adapting. An official at the university said, �The number of foreign professors is increasing rapidly, but there�s a lack of infrastructure to support them.�

Increased burden on a high exchange rate

Concerns have also grown recently due to the high exchange rate. Concerned about hiring difficulties, SNU�s College of Business Administration plans to form yearly salary contracts with a dollar standard in the future. The university�s main office is examining plans to supplement losses due to the exchange rate for those currently employed, but it has been revealed that they are very concerned about the burden of providing 500 million to 600 million won in funding for compensation of foreign currency exchange-related losses. At a minimum in the range of 80 million won, the annual salary for foreign professors is around two times the starting salary for a Korean professor at a national university, which averages 45 million won.

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/325872.html
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Smee



Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd be interested to see it, too.

But there's been a lot of press on foreign professors, mostly looking at how schools import them merely to seem more international without actually treating them with respect or paying much attention to credentials. A few links:

http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2009/10/foreign-professors-and-culture-shock-at.html

Here is a long discussion on the Chronicle's forums about Korean universities' international ranking vis-a-vis their treatment of foreign professors, at least according to some posters there:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=65535.0
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Stan Rogers



Joined: 20 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This has been tried by universities before and to my knowledge they all failed. The newest attempt will fail for the same reasons.
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PRagic



Joined: 24 Feb 2006

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did a quick Google search on the topic. Somebody's working on it. At least it's a start:

[PDF] Successful integration of foreign faculty into Korean universities: A proposed framework[PDF] (출처: kedi.re.kr)DR Gress� - KJEP, 2009 - kedi.re.kr
KEDI Journal of Educational Policy- ISSN 1739- 4341- ⓒ Korean Educational Development
Institute 2009, Electronic version: http://eng. kedi. re. kr KJEP 6: 2 (2009), pp. 183-204
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happiness



Joined: 04 Sep 2010

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

is it just me or does it seem like 2MB is trying to flood Korea with foreign influence to maybe bring Korea into a more "global/multicultural" society and rid it of the mindset brought on by Bak Chung Hee? I mean all of these NETs and professors and workers, some will end up marrying locals and staying, no? Maybe 2MB feels this is what is needed to help Korea to survive, because (and this is MY opinion) Korea has kind of already shone the brightest it could (maybe 2002-5/6) and now can only rely on cheap construction abroad and exporting cheap electronics (Samsung...Koreans are alway surprised when I show them samsung computers on Amazon and such, theyre 1/3 the price!)

to me, thats what it seems like.
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West Coast Tatterdemalion



Joined: 31 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can easily see through what they are trying to do. They want to appear "international" and therefore think that it will improve their rankings. But they don't know how to get there and don't want to do the hard work to make it happen. Do you really think they care that the foreign profs adapt? It is a dog and pony show. Like a hagwon on a larger scale. Smoke and mirrors.
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NohopeSeriously



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hell. This movement is also related to 2MB's over-privatization of South Korean universities. This explains the massive hike of the university student tuition starting this year.
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livinginkorea



Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Location: Korea, South of the border

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

happiness wrote:
is it just me or does it seem like 2MB is trying to flood Korea with foreign influence to maybe bring Korea into a more "global/multicultural" society and rid it of the mindset brought on by Bak Chung Hee? I mean all of these NETs and professors and workers, some will end up marrying locals and staying, no? Maybe 2MB feels this is what is needed to help Korea to survive, because (and this is MY opinion) Korea has kind of already shone the brightest it could (maybe 2002-5/6) and now can only rely on cheap construction abroad and exporting cheap electronics (Samsung...Koreans are alway surprised when I show them samsung computers on Amazon and such, theyre 1/3 the price!)

to me, thats what it seems like.


Considering the fact he was born in Japan I would say yes. Korea does need to do this because two out of the top three economies in the world are right next door.

In principle it's a great idea but those profs do need proper support.
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kiknkorea



Joined: 16 May 2008

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They finally realize it's not enough to just employ foreign faculty members.
There's a push for not just qualified professors, but ones with a research focus and publications to their name.

http://chronicle.com/article/South-Korea-Powers-Ahead-With/44530/
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ZIFA



Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

happiness wrote:
is it just me or does it seem like 2MB is trying to flood Korea with foreign influence to maybe bring Korea into a more "global/multicultural" society and rid it of the mindset brought on by Bak Chung Hee?


If Korea is developing a "multicultural" image then it is purely for show I would guess. The foreign profs are a ploy to add a veneer of prestige and improve the ratings of Korean universities.

Quote:
I mean all of these NETs and professors and workers, some will end up marrying locals and staying, no?


Sure, a tiny % of koreans marry westerners- but most then leave Korea to live in the west, leaving this country culturally unchanged. Even all your vietnamese brides have basically been bought for childbearing roles and have zero impact on this society.

Quote:
Korea has kind of already shone the brightest it could (maybe 2002-5/6) and now can only rely on cheap construction abroad


I'd agree that most development and construction happening in the country at this point is basically excessive and unwarranted. Its all "make work" projects to give people jobs. Korea messed up by electing 2MB, he is another "pyramid builder" in the Pak Chung Hee mould. Instead they should have moved out of the bricks and mortar era and into reforming their tertiary economy and society.
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Hugo85



Joined: 27 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those are very interesting articles.

Though, I really question the merits of such moves on a pure ranking-advancement perspective. Upping the number of professors, but not helping them being decent researchers will lower scores in a number of rankings. For example, in the Jiao Tong they will not go up because there is no foreign staff score, but they will go down in "Per-Capita Performance". Similarly, in the QS and the THE they will lose points in all per capita performance indicators.
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hondaicivic



Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Location: Daegu, South Korea

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ZIFA wrote:
happiness wrote:
is it just me or does it seem like 2MB is trying to flood Korea with foreign influence to maybe bring Korea into a more "global/multicultural" society and rid it of the mindset brought on by Bak Chung Hee?


If Korea is developing a "multicultural" image then it is purely for show I would guess. The foreign profs are a ploy to add a veneer of prestige and improve the ratings of Korean universities.

Quote:
I mean all of these NETs and professors and workers, some will end up marrying locals and staying, no?


Sure, a tiny % of koreans marry westerners- but most then leave Korea to live in the west, leaving this country culturally unchanged. Even all your vietnamese brides have basically been bought for childbearing roles and have zero impact on this society.

Quote:
Korea has kind of already shone the brightest it could (maybe 2002-5/6) and now can only rely on cheap construction abroad


I'd agree that most development and construction happening in the country at this point is basically excessive and unwarranted. Its all "make work" projects to give people jobs. Korea messed up by electing 2MB, he is another "pyramid builder" in the Pak Chung Hee mould. Instead they should have moved out of the bricks and mortar era and into reforming their tertiary economy and society.




With a lot of western countries nearly bankrupt these days, I'm not sure they would want to.
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Thiuda



Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.

PostPosted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was able to find a full copy of the article on the CHE forums: http://viet-studies.info/SouthKorea_ForeignProf_CHE.pdf

Frankly, I think the article is poorly researched and deliberately sets out to depict the Korean effort in a poor light. Some of the stats in the article are very interesting, however.
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