Auburn University’s strong ties with East Asia create domestic and international educational and cultural opportunities

Published: October 10, 2022

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The Auburn University Office of International Programs has made tremendous progress toward cultivating strong partnerships with institutions and organizations around the world that offer mutually beneficial opportunities for faculty, staff and students to experience forward-thinking education, life-enhancing research and scholarship, selfless service and cultural revelation.

An area of the world that Auburn has seen relational growth in the last 10 years is East Asia, specifically South Korea and Taiwan. Auburn’s strong connections with these countries is mainly due to the Office of International Programs’ partnerships with Keimyung University, or KMU, in Daegu, South Korea, and the National Cheng Kung University, or NCKU, in Tainan City, Taiwan. As a result of OIP’s partnerships, Auburn has opened two centers, the Korea Center-King Sejong Institute and the AU-NCKU Taiwan Center of Chinese Language and Culture, dedicated to promoting joint educational and cultural collaboration.

The centers have and will continue to facilitate opportunities for the exchange of ideas and cultural awareness amongst the Auburn Family. Just this fall, the KC-KSI and AU-NCKU Taiwan Center are providing 13 language course options, hosting more than 15 cultural events and competitions and offering several study abroad scholarship awards. The centers recently hosted a joint event to celebrate Chuseok and the Taiwan Moon Festival, South Korea and Taiwan’s respective autumn harvest celebrations. The event welcomed more than 350 students, faculty and staff, and offered attendees an authentic South Korean and Taiwanese holiday experience complete with traditional activities and cuisine, as well as informational handouts to take home.

It is through global collaboration with countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, where Auburn already has strong connections due to industrial linkages, research and alumni presence, that Auburn can help lead and shape a more global and connected higher education landscape.

The Office of International Programs will soon announce a grant program for group travel to South Korea to encourage and facilitate research and scholarship collaborations with KMU. Details will be released in the coming weeks.

For more information on the internationalization efforts of the Office of International Programs, visit auburn.edu/international.

Submitted by: Kalani Long