KS's Global Insights into Higher Education

At OO University, President Z initiated a town hall meeting, seeking input on the pressing issue of internationalization. Student Council President A was the first to point out the struggle faced by foreign students in integrating with the campus learning community and its culture. When Dean B lamented the decline in class quality due to the influx of underqualified foreign students, Director C of Planning rebutted, arguing the necessity for financial gain and improved external evaluations. Director D of the International Affairs Division underscored the need for the university's active participation and support in internationalization initiatives, citing a recent meeting with the Department of Education's official in charge of international education. Director E of the Office of International Affairs underscored the urgency for preemptive measures given the unprecedented intensification of global competition for student recruitment. Pondering these remarks, President Z asked, ...

XX University Awards for OO Years Straight! Winner of XX Government Grant: OO Million! As you read this article, are you someone closely involved in higher education – perhaps a provider of university services? If so, you might be stirred by the headlines above. Since the late 1990s, a myriad of financial support programs for universities, with the Brain Korea Initiative at the forefront, have expanded significantly, transforming the way universities market themselves. These programs have become invaluable resources and tools for institutions to showcase their excellence both domestically and internationally. However, how students and parents – the consumers of higher education – perceive these promotional efforts is another matter altogether. Are these marketing slogans truly achieving their intended objectives? The steady increase in the college-age population and the soaring university enrollment rates in South Korea, predominantly driven by private institutions, fueled the quantita...

 "Language is the house of being." In 2017, K University courageously stepped away from the standardized term, 'Admissions Office,' long used by the majority of universities in South Korea, and built a new 'house of existence for university admissions work' through the language of a 'Talent Discovery Department.' This was the first attempt to boldly diverge from the conventional term. It can be evaluated as an innovative and audacious attempt, reflecting the will to actively seek out talent, moving away from traditional passive admissions work, and identifying the potential of students who are the protagonists of the future generation. Despite the realistic criticism that it was 'awkwardly unfamiliar' and 'difficult to intuitively understand,' six years later, the sign for the 'Talent Discovery Department' at K University remains robust. In 2019, an American university staff member, referred to as R, was puzzled when she saw the...

"We are millennials. We try to do that (find purpose) instinctively!" This is what Mark Zuckerberg said in his commencement speech at Harvard University in 2017. 'Decoding the MZ generation' has long been a critical interest for most conscious organizations. A Korean book addressing the sociocultural characteristics of those born in the 90s even gained popularity through word-of-mouth, recommended by a former president of South Korea. At one prestigious corporation, executives even attended a lecture given by new hires from the MZ generation, creating quite a buzz. The heart of the 2030 electorate was also considered a decisive factor in the last election. As the keyword has become more prominent, academic research on the subject has increased, and various writings and papers are readily available. Now, even articles featuring 90s-born professors are emerging, making it clear that a new wave of generations has arrived in academia. Over a decade has passed since the in...

The COVID-19 pandemic has held sway over the globe for over two years now, yet the fervor of countless experts involved in internationalization at local Korean universities remains undeterred. In January, approximately 230 faculty and staff members from various local universities converged at the 22nd regular general meeting of the Korean Association of International Educators in Jeju. The gathering served as a platform for them to engage in fervent dialogues on innovation and development in international exchange, as well as the management of foreign student recruitment. This could be attributed not only to their concerted efforts toward internationalizing domestic universities, but potentially also to their experience working in American universities operating within Korea. The idea of 'internationalization' has entrenched itself as a top policy priority in our universities for over two decades. Despite apprehensions over rapid quantitative growth and the manifestation of uni...