By Patty Pitts
"This is the first on-site international English language centre UVic has established abroad...."
Two new programs that build on UVic's strong ties with Asia and provide expanded opportunities for UVic faculty members and students were finalized during a recent trip to Asia by UVic President Dr. David Strong and a number of UVic faculty and administrators.
Senior managers from Thailand's business community and the 35 Rajabhat Institutes throughout Thailand can now earn a UVic MBA degree without leaving their country, through a new executive MBA program launched with the signing of an agreement between the Faculty of Business and the Rajabhat Suan Dusit Institute in Bangkok, Thailand, .
Another agreement, signed between UVic's English Language Centre and HanYang University in Seoul, South Korea establishes a UVic centre in Seoul where Korean students will be taught English by UVic graduates.
"The programs heighten UVic's presence in these two countries, and assist faculty members interested in teaching exchanges, as well as students and graduates seeking opportunities in Thailand and Korea," says Strong. "These partnerships also provide a solid base for expanded benefits in the future."
UVic Faculty of Business professors, Thai instructors and distance education technology will be used to deliver the MBA program at Rajabhat which begins in June, 1997. UVic professors will fly to Thailand during breaks in their teaching schedules here to teach program modules to the 35 students accepted each year-all of whom must meet the entry standards for the University's MBA program. Courses requiring extensive local knowledge will be taught by Thai instructors. All students will have email linkages to the electronic business library in the McPherson Library for distance research and to communicate with professors who have since returned to Victoria.
The partnership is lauded by UVic Dean of Business Dr. Roger Wolff for its potential to generate links with Thai businesses, create possible co-op positions and open up more opportunities for joint research projects.
"Students are drawn to this program because of its innovative modular format which allows students to keep working, because it is a UVic degree taught by UVic professors, and because of the involvement of Thai corporate executives on the program's advisory board," says Dr. Dale Beckman, head of the faculty's international business program who has worked for four years to establish the new MBA program. "Since some of these students will benefit from English language training, there is the potential for UVic to fulfill a need here as well."
The new international English language centre agreement with HanYang University indicates the strong desire in Asia for professional English language instruction and attests to UVic's reputation for being able to deliver high quality programs. HanYang is constructing a new addition to a building to house UVic's program, which was chosen over proposals submitted by a number of other North American universities. Construction on the new centre is scheduled for completion in March 1997 and classes will begin soon after. The partnership calls for six UVic instructors to teach at HanYang for an initial appointment of one year. In three to five years, enrolment in the program is expected to reach 1,000 students drawn from universities, business and government. "Korea is committed to globalizing its economy, and learning English is a means to achieve that," says Dr. Wes Koczka, UVic's Acting Dean of Continuing Studies. "This is the first on-site international English language centre UVic has established abroad and it increases the potential for more partnerships between the centre and the Faculty of Business and creates the possibility of new careers in language instruction for UVic graduates."
During the past year, the Faculty of Business and the English language
centre have offered personalized language and business study programs to
senior executives of LG Limited of Korea. The programs can last from seven
weeks to five months, depending on the needs of the individual executives.