Four Lander University students have been selected to attend a three-week international summer session at Dong-A University in Busan, South Korea. They will become the first Lander students to study in Korea under recent agreements Lander made with Dong-A and six other colleges and universities in Korea and China. The agreements will enable students from Lander and the other institutions to study on each other's campuses starting this year.
Lander president Daniel Ball and interim dean of International Programs Sung-Jae Park recently completed a trip to China and Korea where they signed memoranda of understanding with the heads of the seven institutions. Ball said he expects students from Korea to be enrolled at Lander in the fall.
The four students chosen for the summer program will spend most of July in Korea. They are: Alexandria Beebe, a sophomore from Clover majoring in Spanish and theatre; Corbin Childs of Elberton, Ga., a junior mass communication major; Rachel Piper of Greenville, a freshman English major, who said she plans to teach English in Korea or Japan; and Lane Riley of Greenwood, a junior majoring in Spanish and sociology.
The four were chosen from a group of Lander students who expressed an interest in the summer session at Dong-A. Park told them, "This is a great opportunity and a life-changing experience." He said they are Lander's first ambassadors to Korea.
They were encouraged to keep a journal during their stay and will be expected to write a report about their experiences when they return. The students will also earn course credits.
The four will be among students from 60 other countries attending the session in Busan, which is the second largest city in Korea. The curriculum will include classes on the Korean language, culture, business, politics and other topics with time set aside for touring and field trips.