Makassar (ANTARA) - On Monday, June 24, 2024, the International Office (IO), Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) conducted a visit to the Office of International Affairs (OIA) at Seoul National University (SNU), South Korea.
The delegation from UNHAS was represented by Saaduddin, M.Sc., a Task Force member in the IO UNHAS Division of International Students and Visa. He was warmly received by Ms. Sunju Park, Director of International Education Partnership/Agreement, Ms. Moonkyung Baik, Manager of Scholarships for Exchange Students (In/Outbound), and Ms. Jinsol Maeng, Manager of Scholarships for International Students.
During this meeting, several key topics were discussed, including the initiation of cooperation between UNHAS and SNU, student exchanges, and scholarships.
The meeting began with an introduction to UNHAS by Saaduddin. In his presentation, he highlighted that UNHAS is one of the top 10 universities in Indonesia with a vision and mission related to the maritime continent.
He added that UNHAS, located in Makassar, is strategically positioned near the new capital city on Kalimantan Island, the Spermonde Archipelago, the Wallacea region, and the Maros-Pangkep Geopark, renowned for its karst landscape.
Concluding his presentation, he emphasized that UNHAS is currently striving to enhance its international reputation through its internationalization programs. A key effort in this regard is increasing collaborations with the top 200 universities globally, with SNU being a prime target, ranked #31 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.
The meeting continued with a discussion on initiating cooperation between the two universities. Ms. Sunju Park explained that currently, SNU is limiting the establishment of university-level Memorandums of Understanding (MoU).
However, SNU allows for bottom-up collaboration, which can start at the grassroots level, such as laboratories. Each college and department, down to individual laboratories, can establish research and staff exchange collaborations.
The financial and technical aspects can vary according to the policies of each party. In contrast, student exchanges requiring credit transfer necessitate a university-level MoU due to the involvement of multiple divisions, such as the academic division, inbound student office, and visa management.
Ms. Moonkyung Baik added that if the student exchange does not span a full semester and does not require credit transfer, a faculty or departmental level MoU would suffice.
Following this, Ms. Jinsol Maeng mentioned that SNU currently has an open application for the Graduate Scholarship for Foreign Students (GSFS) Program for Spring 2025.
She suggested that UNHAS students might be interested in this opportunity. Additionally, she noted that SNU offers various other scholarships, such as the SNU President Fellowship (SPF) for Ph.D. programs. The brief meeting with the OIA SNU holds the promise of paving the way for future collaborations between UNHAS and SNU.
