"If yesterday's IGC(Incheon Global Campus) was a possibility, today's IGC is competitiveness."
As IGC greets its 5th anniversary as of this year, its dream to materialize education
innovation and to nurture global talent is coming true. Against this backdrop, Incheon
Global Campus invited Diplomatic Missions from the Seoul Diplomatic Corps. including
senior diplomats to its Songdo Incheon Campus to brief them on last 5 years of IGC
and IGC's future in the years to come on April 12th(Wen.) following last year’s successful tour.
Group photo session after the opening ceremony to welcome visiting Diplomatic Corps. & senior diplomats. |
Although IGC & Korea's education competitiveness have been upgraded one step
higher during last 5 years with a launch of IGC Global Campus in Incheon Songdo,
continuous attraction efforts to host prestigious universities & students are being
above all assessed to be its existence reason of IGC as well as its mission.
On the occasion of its 5th establishment anniversary regarding Incheon Global Campus
Operation Foundation, Incheon Metropolitan City mayor Yoo Jeong-bok says that for IGC, 2017 is a year of new leap in terms of FIT(Fashion Institute of Technology)'s opening etc. this fall in 2017.
Mongolia Amb. Baasanjav Ganbold addressing his return speech during the opening ceremony. |
With its vision of best global education hub in Northeast Asia, Incheon Global Campus
launched on August, 2007 in the hopes to attract 10 prestigious universities around
the world as well as 10,000 students by investing about 1 trillion won(USD 1 billion).
From the beginning, such large-scale project which was tried for the first time on the peninsular, was not smooth,
according to IGC observers. However, as if Incheon Metropolitan City, Incheon Free
Economiz Zone Authority, IGC Operation Foundation & related institutions make
something out of nothing with their pioneer spirit, currently 4 universities opened
classes such as SUNY, GMU, GHENT & UTAH Universities and about 1,600 students
from 36 countries around the world registered as of this spring semester.
Incheon Global Campus Operation Foundation president Bang Jong-seol(left) guiding Ambassadors & diplomats during its campus tour. |
IGC Operation Foundation president Bang Jong-seol added that he is confident if 'Global Startup Campus', & 'SW convergence cluster
will be opened in the forthcoming July this year in addition to joint cross registration
system between universities, campus festival and youth summer camp etc., more brisk
university campus atmosphere will be formed naturally.
In the opening speech for visiting Excellencies & diplomats as well which was held in
the morning on April 12th(Wen.) at IGC 5th floor auditorium, Bang said that he believes IGC will greatly contribute
to the development of regional society, to say nothing of boosting growth potential by
spearheading creative economy activiation & education innovation.
Belgium Ghent Global Campus tour. |
Like the examples of last year, each 4 universities made their presentation regarding
their campus edges & strategies to attract more talented students in the order of
SUNY, GMU, GHENT & UTAH following their president welcoming remarks respectively.
Campus tour were proceeded in the order of small theater, gymnasium, large
auditorium, GHENT Uni green house, and 5th floor convention room etc.
Following last year, 'Dialogue with Ambassadors' was a special highlight for this year
as well in that Sri Lanka Amb. Manisha Gunasekera made her keynote speech with a
theme, titled 'Gender Equality & Women's Role in Sri Lanka' while 5 honorable
ambassadors such as Mongolia Amb. Baasanjav Ganbold, Tunisia Amb. Mohamed
Ali Nafti, Sri Lanka Amb. Manisha Gunasekera, Iraq deputy Ibrahim Khalil Ibrahim and
last but not least Consul Mr. Begench Durdiyev from the Embassy of Turkmenistan
were attending as panelists for talks with students.
Sri Lanka Amb. Manisha Gunasekera speaking regarding "Gender Equality & Women's Role in Sri Lanka" in her keynote address session in the afternoon at IGC auditorium. |
In her keynote address, Sri Lanka Amb. Manisha Gunasekera emphasized first of all:
"Sri Lanka, a success story in female education, is making efforts to increase women's
political representation, adding as a result of women's equal access to education, the
participation of women in professional services and in senior & middle ranking positions
in the state and corporate sectors have seen a steady increase.
Amb. Manisha Gunasekera added that the country since gaining independence in 1948
has followed a combination of welfare state policies including universal free education
and free health care which has resulted in the elimination of gender- and class-based discrimination in access to education, and upward social mobility to both
women and men across social strata.
5 panelists who attended in "The Dialogue with Ambassadors Session" who include from left, Consul Mr. Begench Durdiyev from the Embassy of Turkmenistan, Mongolia Amb. Baasanjav , Tunisia Amb. Mohamed Ali Nafti, Sri Lanka Amb. Manisha Gunasekera and last but not least Iraq deputy Ibrahim Khalil Ibrahim . |
Mongolia Amb. Baasanjav Ganbold praised in his return address by capacity of Dean of
visiting Diplomatic Missions that students who chose IGC, can be called as pioneers to
usher next generation with their open minds. (See the excerpts of Mongolia Amb.
Ganbold's return speech at the end of this article!) Commissioner Lee Young-geun from Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority who was on hand for the opening
ceremony, commented that IGC is one of many prides for Incheon Free Economic Zone
Authority by his congratulatory remarks.
In conjunction with terror problems questions received from the floor, Tunisia Amb.
Mohamed Ali Nafti & Iraq deputy Ibrahim Khalil Ibrahim replied jointly that citizen
protection is the first goal of Iraq government and to strengthen our security measures
can be served as a solution to tackle terror issues for Tunisian side. In particular, Nafti
said that political observers are unanimous to conclude that, more than 60 years after
gaining its independence, the Tunisian people has been showing firstly a great capacity
to lead a spontaneous, legitimate and peaceful revolution and then to tackle, through
dialogue and consensus, huge obstacles by launching democratic transition process
which grants political freedom, justice as well as economic and social development.
Floor qeustion at the auditorium. |
Regarding his most priority as Mongolia Amb. to the Republic of Korea, Ganbold said
that my mission is to attract Korea's technology, capital & investment to supplement
Mongolia's industry structure & human resources, expressing his sincere interest in
establishing another Mongolian school in Seoul which will help Mongolian immigrant
children adopt themselves to Korean society well.
Consul Mr. Begench Durdiyev from the Embassy of Turkmenistan took advantage of
the Dialogue Session with 5 Ambassadors as an opportunity to publicize "The Fifth
Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games«AIMAG-2017» which will be organized in September 2017 in Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan".
Begench also touched upon 25 years of mutual beneficial cooperation by way of the
two countries' diplomatic ties: Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea are sharing
common interests and goals by hosting the major sport events.
Wrapping up their panel discussions, Ambassadors & senior diplomats pose with IGC students for final group photo session. |
He added that moreover, by sharing the common goals for the development of a
healthy lifestyle, both countries attach great importance to the development of physical
culture and sports among their population. Guided by these principles, Turkmenistan
and the Republic of Korea, where the health and lifestyle has become a priority of the
state politics, in a nearly future will become the centers of the major international
sporting events, Durdiyev emphasized.
The following is a return address by Mongolia Amb. Baasanjav Ganbold during the
opening ceremony. -Ed.
Reply remarks as Dean of Visiting Diplomatic Corps. by Mongolia Amb. Ganbold
Baasanjav
As Dean of visiting Diplomatic Corps from Seoul, I as Mongolia Amb. to the Republic
of Korea first of all would like to express our deep appreciation for the invitation of
Incheon Global Campus.
We ambassadors & diplomats understand that Incheon Global Campus is a national
project established by the Korean government and Incheon Metropolitan City, to
innovate the education system of Korea and to nurture next generation of global
leaders in the fields of education, economics, industry, culture and arts. Moreover, we
heard that with an investment of USD 1 billion, the global campus is planning to host
ten of the world’s prestigious universities all ranked among the top 100 universities and draw a diverse
population of around 10,000 students from around the globe.
Capsule hotel at Incheon Intl Airport visiting Ambassadors & senior diplomats dropped by. |
In that regard, we visiting ambassadors & diplomats have high expectation in that 4
universities at IGC such as The State University of New York, George Mason University,
Ghent University and the University of Utah are extended campuses of which graduation
assessment and educational management are run by their home campuses. We believe
that students who choose IGC as new environment to study rather than staying at
their home country in USA, Europe, and Asia can be called pioneer with real open-mind.
Further, we ambassadors & diplomats are sincerely looking forward for IGC to contribute
to the development of Incheon and Korea through the revitalization of the creative
economy by providing high-quality global education. Thank you.