Ashland University, Daegu Health College Sign Memorandum of Understanding

ASHLAND, Ohio –Ashland University and Daegu Health College in South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding to engage in a program of cooperation.

The two institutions will promote exchange and cooperation in research and teaching, facilitate exchange of and cooperation between the staffs of both institutions and discuss the exchange of students wanting to visit and/or participate in education programs.

Ashland University President Dr. Frederick Finks and Daegu Health College President Dr. Sung Hee Nam sign the memorandum of understanding.

During a ceremony for the signing of the agreement, Ashland University President Dr. Frederick Finks said, “The relationship between our schools goes back 15 years, when then President Dr. Joseph Shultz and Dr. Jae Chai (professor emeritus of political science) first visited Daegu. I am pleased to see that this relationship has been rekindled.”

Fifteen students from Daegu Health College gained experience in their fields in Ashland this summer through an internship program arranged by Ashland University. They took five weeks of full-time English classes specially geared toward medical terms, healthcare, conversation and American culture, before moving on to shadowing experiences at Samaritan Hospital, the Good Shepherd Home and a local dentist office.

“We were blessed by the students who came this summer,” Finks said. “Their presence on our campus was enriching and I know they formed relationships with the people they met on our campus, in the health care facilities where they were placed and in the city of Ashland.

“The United States and South Korea have been friends for many years. That friendship can only be enhanced by exchanges such as this.”

Dr. Sung Hee Nam, president of Daegu Health College, recognizing the 15-year relationship between the two institutions, said, “Although we have maintained a good partnership, we have had intermittent relations. The main purpose of my visit is to rekindle our relationship.

“The world is becoming smaller as time goes by, hence it is the schools’ responsibility to foster the skills for a global world. Students bring fresh viewpoints to our classrooms and diversity to our social activities. Because a successful career in the 21st century requires deep understanding of international relations and the impact of globalization, we need to be well positioned to give our students a competitive advantage in professional fields worldwide.

“I wish we could tap our potential and help our students go beyond the limitations and boundaries in which they live, in order to open their hearts and minds to people and cultures radically different from their own. I look forward to our most productive and prosperous future in close collaboration.” 

Daegu Health College is located in Daegu, South Korea, the third largest metropolitan city and the center of the Yeongnam region, which is the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. It was founded in 1971 and has a total enrollment of more than 7,000.

Ashland University is a private, comprehensive institution located in north central Ohio between Cleveland and Columbus. On-campus enrollment is nearly 2,150 undergraduate students while total enrollment, including graduate and off-campus centers, is more than 6,500.