The University of Geneva Yonsei Center has officially opened in Room 425 of Libertas B Hall on the Yonsei International Campus (YIC). The center is the result of a strategic partnership agreement signed by Yonsei and the University of Geneva in July 2013, one which called for the establishment of joint research centers on each university’s campus, as well as jointly-funded collaborative research projects and increased student and faculty exchanges. As a result of the agreement, this year the two universities have selected and provided funding for three research teams whose projects relate to the theme “Aging, Korean Studies, and Standardization.”
During a recent visit, a delegation from the University of Geneva attended meetings with the directors of several of Yonsei’s research centers. Additionally, representatives from both institutions discussed expanding the number of student exchange opportunities, and, in particular, increasing the participation of University of Geneva students in exchanges with Underwood International College (UIC), the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), as well as having these students take part in the Yonsei International Summer School (YISS) and Winter Abroad at Yonsei (WAY). The visiting delegation was also given tours of the Medical Center and the Underwood Library at the YIC.
Yonsei and the University of Geneva have had official exchanges since 2003, when GSIS and Geneva’s Business School established a dual degree program, allowing GSIS students to receive an International Organizations MBA (IOMBA) through the University of Geneva. In 2007, an agreement on undergraduate student exchange programs between UIC and Geneva was made. Eventually, the student exchange program was extended to all undergraduates at Yonsei. According to Yonsei officials, the establishment of joint research centers at each university will create exciting opportunities for collaborative research and student and faculty networking, while enhancing Yonsei’s reputation internationally.