—President Jeong Visits University of Sydney, University of Otago, and University of Auckland
From April 9 to 15, Yonsei President Jeong Kap-young visited three universities in Australia and New Zealand to establish collaborative partnerships with the institutions. At the University of Sydney, President Jeong met with Provost Stephen Garton and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Jill Trewhella, signing an MOU for a strategic partnership between the universities and discussing student exchange programs and joint research projects. Like Yonsei, the University of Sydney has partnership agreements with Switzerland’s University of Geneva and Japan’s Keio University. The University of Sydney was ranked 37th in the latest QS World University Rankings, and it is a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), to which Yonsei also belongs.
Following the signing ceremony, a roundtable discussion was held with members of the Yonsei delegation and a number of University of Sydney faculty members. They discussed details regarding future research collaboration, particularly with the Yonsei School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the College of Medicine.
President Jeong’s next meeting was at the University of Otago, which is New Zealand’s oldest university, having been established in 1869. It is especially known for having one of the world’s top medical schools. At Otago, President Jeong and the Yonsei delegation met with Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Affairs Helen Nicholson and Business School Dean George Benwell. Since 2004, the Otago Business School has had a student exchange program with the Yonsei School of Business; at their meeting, President Jeong and the Otago officials agreed to expand the exchange program to include all colleges within each university.
The final meeting was at the University of Auckland, which is also a member of APRU; the university was ranked 92nd in the most recent QS World University Rankings. The University of Auckland owns UniServices, a commercialization company that manages the university’s intellectual property, transferring it to the public and private sectors. With its motto “Transferring Technology to Society,” UniServices pays all surpluses generated back to the university, which then uses the funds to expand and enhance its capabilities in commercial and basic research. During this visit, President Jeong met with University of Auckland Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon and UniServices CEO Andy Shank to discuss the details of future collaboration between the universities.
On the trip, President Jeong was accompanied by Vice President for International Affairs Mo Jong-ryn and Dean for Research Affairs Kim Eun-kyoung. Through the visits, Yonsei affirmed its commitment to expanding opportunities for research collaboration and student exchanges in New Zealand and Australia.