$1.5 million grant to fund Korean Studies

Three Korean alumni provided the University a $1.5 million grant with which it will establish its first endowed chair in Korean studies, according to a press release issued
Monday.

The chair, which will be housed in the Department of East Asian Languages in the School of Global and International Studies, is the first endowed chair to be established since the school’s approval in August.

Donations from alumni Young-Jin Kim, William (Won Suk) Joo Joo and a third anonymous alumnus, were accompanied by funds from the Korea Foundation, an institution dedicated to increasing understanding of Korea within the global community, according to the press release.

According to the press release, University officials celebrated the grant during an event with Korean alumni Saturday in Seoul, South Korea.

“This wonderful grant will enable us to expand and enhance our academic programs in Korean studies focused on one of the most dynamic and increasingly influential countries in the world and one with a rich and eventful history,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in the press release. “We are very grateful to the Korea Foundation and to these three alumni donors for their exceptional generosity.”

The Korea Chapter of the IU Alumni Association is one of the largest in the world, according to the press release, with more than 6,600 Korean alumni.

“Indiana University’s many successful and influential graduates in Korea are among our most loyal and supportive in the world,” University Executive Vice President and Provost Lauren Robel said in the press release. “The devotion of our Korean alumni to the success and excellence of their alma mater is palpable whenever I or any of our faculty visit.”

— Kirsten Clark