Business & Tech
A New George Mason University Campus — In Korea?
GMU's new campus in Korea is set to open soon, and scholarships are already amassed for Fairfax students who want to study abroad.
After much planning, a brand-new extension of George Mason University is set to open soon.
But it's not in Virginia — or even on this continent. The new campus will be located in Songdo, Korea.
Nicknamed "Mason Korea," plans for the campus are moving along, and were solidified recently during an operation support agreement signing ceremony, pictured above.
Matthew Zingraff, Mason Korea's interim president and provost, met with the mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City, the commissioner of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZA), the president of the Songdo Global University Foundation, and various other academic and government leaders during the final signing ceremony for the operation support agreement last week.
"At that ceremony, Zingraff presented the official agreement, signed by George Mason University provost Peter Stearns, which served as the final step in a long process to create and open the new Mason Korea Campus," reported James Burke from the GMU news desk.
It's already a reality, but it will become even more so in just a few months when Mason Korea enrolls its first class of undergraduate students in March, 2014.
Students on the Mason Korea Campus will enroll in economics and management degrees and will be joined by current Fairfax GMU students who will take general education and elective courses during the inaugural semester, GMU said.
The Office of Global and International Strategies has secured new academic scholarships for Mason Fairfax students to enroll in Mason Korea ’s first semester.
"These individuals will blaze an academic and cultural trail that will set the bar for future students," said James Burke.
“This is an exciting moment, sure to inspire and challenge Mason Nation — whether in Fairfax, Arlington, Prince William or Korea,” said Anne Schiller, vice president for Global and International Strategies, in a statement.
Songdo is located about 25 miles outside of Seoul, and a 20-minute drive from Korea's international airport.
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Information sessions about studying at Mason Korea are running through Oct. 29. The schedule for upcoming sessions can be found here.
TELL US - What do you think of GMU opening a campus in Korea, and Fairfax students being given the opportunity to study abroad for a semester? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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