Boston College's Lynch School of Education and Human Development (Lynch School) and the Seoul National University of Education (SNUE) agreed in principle to develop collaborative academic cooperation activities, announced Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J. dean of Lynch School, and Dr. Kyung-Sung Kim, SNUE president.
Dr. Kyung-Sung Kim and David Quigley, BC Provost and Dean of Faculties, signed the five-year, renewable agreement during ceremonies at Boston College.
SNUE is the country's foremost school of education that provides graduate and undergraduate training for future public elementary school teachers. Founded in 1946, it is South Korea's first national university that specializes in elementary school teacher training. In South Korea, elementary-level teaching is considered even more crucial than other levels, so their highest status school of education focuses on elementary teacher training.
“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to work with this prestigious South Korean school of education,” said Wortham. “We welcome Korean teachers and students to Boston to learn about American educational successes, and we will benefit from the expertise of our Korean colleagues and exposure to such a high-functioning educational system.”
It is anticipated that representatives from the two institutions will meet again in May in Seoul to launch the relationship's planning phase. Professor Ana M. Martinez Aleman, Lynch School's associate dean, Faculty and Academic Affairs, will oversee and coordinate the collaboration on behalf of Boston College.
The activities and programs that may emerge from this agreement range from joint educational, cultural and research initiatives, to the exchange of faculty members and students for research, lectures, discussions and studies. In each case, the execution of any program will be subject to mutual approval and funding availability.
After signing the memorandum of understanding, officials from Seoul National University of Education tour Saint Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton.
Clockwise from left, from Seoul National University of Education: Paul Chung, assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education; Sung Sik Kim, professor of Elementary Education and dean of Planning and International Affairs; and President Kyung-Sung Kim
From Saint Columbkille Partnership School: Principal William Gartside and fifth graders Sophie Minihane and Armina Allahverdi-Amatuni