McRobbie returns from Asia after week-long trip

After helping facilitate several deals between IU and universities in South Korea, IU President Michael McRobbie returned Saturday.

During his week-long trip, McRobbie and some staff members worked to create opportunities for student exchange.

McRobbie also went to Peking University in China to attend a conference to discuss the University’s international strategic plan.

Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business, went on the trip and said he had a number of meetings with the dean of the business school at Sungkyunkwan University.

He said they were able to finalize details for several collaborative programs. Dual degrees will be offered at Sungkyunkwan University for undergraduate business, master of business administration and executive master of business administration programs.

Korean undergraduate students can spend 60 to 70 hours at Sungkyunkwan University and 64 at IU and get a degree from IU and Sungkyunkwan University. Currently, IU students can’t participate.

“Our hope in the long term is that we will send students from the Kelley School,” Smith said.

Smith said the IU delegation met with the president and discussed a wider range of opportunities for other IU units.

Sungkyunkwan University also partners with the graduate school of business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College and Northwestern University on programs similar to what IU is doing.

Dean of the School of Informatics, Bobby Schnabel, also traveled to South Korea. He said he spent three days visiting universities.

He made deals for informatics and computer science to have a semester-long student exchange starting fall 2009 and several other academic partnerships with different Korean universities, including Seoul National University.

IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said McRobbie believes Asia is an area of the world with growing strategic importance. He said it’s important to be connected with top-tier universities in Asia – especially China, Korea and Japan.

Smith said business students need to have a more global orientation because many companies operate on a global scale.

MacIntyre said the president of Sungkyunkwan University, Jung-Don Seo, and McRobbie are developing a personal relationship, citing the Sungkyunkwan University’s president coming to IU for McRobbie’s inauguration.

“They’re leading by example, if you will,” MacIntyre said.