Hankuk University inaugurates new
UD program with record enrollment at ELI

ELI welcomed 69 students from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in July, the largest group hosted by the Institute this year, and a record for the long-standing program.

The increased participation, said Dr. Jeong-Woon Park, chairperson of the Department of English Education at Hankuk University, who accompanied the participants, marked the inauguration of a new "dual degree" program. The new agreement allows Korean students to earn degrees from both Hankuk University and the University of Delaware after spending two years at each institution.It is the first such dual-degree agreement for both universities.

Hankuk University students visited Washington DC on July 4 with their escorts (top) Dr. Jeong Woon Park, Mr. Tae Bong Kwon, and Mr. Soon Kyeu Hwang.

Two of the summer participants, said Park, were awarded scholarships by Hankuk University to continue their studies at the University of Delaware. Currently five students are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences under the new program, said Fred Siegel, associate provost for enrollment services.

"It's a fantastic opportunity," said Siegel.

The dual-degree program is in addition to a long-established exchange program in which English majors from Hankuk University spend one or two semesters at UD, Park said.

Many of the Hankuk University students enrolled in ELI in July were majoring in one of the 28 languages offered at that university or in diplomacy. For these students, the interaction with students from other countries, as well as the hospitality provided by area host families, proved to be a highlight of the program, said Soon Kyeu Hwang, a career officer at Hankuk University, who also accompanied the participants.

"They removed their fear of foreigners," Hwang said, "and they gained self-confidence in using their English."

At the graduation ceremony held in Trabant Center on July 26, Dr. Park thanked the ELI administration and program coordinators Charlotte Meneses and John Pickett for their efforts in "making this program better than any other intensive English program in the world."