Message from CNU Alumni Professors

▲ Cha Heung-joo (left), Jeon Kyong-seon and Kang So-hee (right)
During last summer vacation, Chonnam National University (CNU) opened its 2012 International Summer Session (ISS). It provided high quality lectures of 17 professors from top universities in the world. This year, three CNU alumni, visiting professors from the University of Redlands, Columbus State University and Trent University provided three major lectures. This is an interview with them: Cha Heung-joo, Jeon Kyong-seon and Kang So-hee. The Chonnam Tribune will report their successful story in order to give CNU students a sense of pride in their university and encourage them to realize their dreams in the next issue of the newspaper. – Ed.
 
Cha Heung-joo (Business Administration, University of Redlands)
Q: Please introduce yourself.
CHJ: I entered the college of business administration at CNU in 1982. After graduated in 1989, I worked in Daishin Securities. Then I entered the University of Winconsin-Madison for a master's degree in finance in 1993, and earned Ph.D. in Finance at the University of Houston in 1999. Now I am serving as a professor at the University of Redlands nearby L.A. in the U.S.
Q: What is the reason for your participation in the ISS?
CHJ: President Kim Yoon-Soo recommended the ISS program on the occasion of his visit in L.A. last year.
Q: What do you think about the ISS?
CHJ: I was impressed by students' passion to see them join a variety of quality programs that the university operates including ISS, and satisfied with the conditions of classroom I taught at the high-tech classroom. As I taught financial management, a major course of a department (not a cultural subject), only six students took the class (two international students and four Korean students from CNU's business administration college). However, they all did their best to complete given tasks, made great group works, and achieved an outstanding outcomes, even better my prior students from the States or China that I have taught. I hope more CNU students join ISS with passion and challenge.
Q: What are the changes that you have seen in your alma mater?
CHJ: There were no programs at a university level to provide students with opportunity such as exchange student, nor attentions of students to study abroad or make conversations in English. Now, CNU has set a sistership and send/receive exchange students among renowned universities around the world, so that students are able to face advanced opportunities of education including ISS and get prepared to the globalization much better.
Q: Any suggestions on the internationalization of CNU?
CHJ: Students' English competitiveness, faculties, conditions for education, facilities, number of international students… all are the apparent evidence of great advance in globalization. Instead of simple increase in quantity by operating a similar program with ones in Seoul or other national universities, the distinct and specialized program will be welcome by students. For example, a variety of race in professors and students (not simply ones from the States or Europe) in ISS created variation and advance in quality in the sector of education, exchange, and cultural experience.
Q: Please leave any message for CNU students.
CHJ: Watching students with TOEIC textbook in their hands on the way to the library in the middle of vacation to get jobs, and at the same time spending all the nights drinking at bars around the campus, I would like to tell them to get out of their monotonous lives for a while and have some time alone for the conversation of yourself. Getting a job at a big company or working as a civil servant is not always a right answer. Instead, I would like to recommend students to make a conversation with their own, search for given talents, and find what they are good at and what they want to do, and go forward together with the weak and alienated. I can say this is the way to live a mature, meaningful and valuable life.
 
▲ Cha Heung-joo (left), Kang So-hee and Jeon Kyong-seon (right)
▲ Cha Heung-joo (left), Kang So-hee and Jeon Kyong-seon (right)
 
Jeon Kyong-seon (English Education, Columbus State University)
Q: Please introduce yourself.
JKS: After taking Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature at CNU and Master’s degree in TESOL at the University of Texas at San Antonio, I entered Cornell University with full scholarship for Ph.D. in applied linguistics. After two years of Ph.D. course in SA, I moved to Georgetown University in Washington D.C due to my tutor’s transfer, then earned Ph.D. there in January 2004. I am now teaching English and English education courses at the English Literature department at Columbus State University, which is a part of Georgia State University.
Q: What is the reason for your participation in this year’s ISS?
JKS: Professor Shin Gyeong-gu was my tutor during my bachelor’s degree. He recommended me this opportunity. I was motivated both by longing my school and hometown and by strong intention to share my experiences with my juniors. It is also special to me in the context that I can teach the same course which I have taught under different conditions in Korea with Korean students, so that I can identify similarity and difference.
Q: What do you think about the ISS?
JKS: From Korean students, I could see some hesitation to express their opinions probably due to the language barrier (in English), while it is very common in the States to openly and aggressively debate among students. However, I am deeply thankful and impressed to see CNU students’ politeness, respect to the professor, and humbleness. I am also proud to them to willingly face challenges in spite of having to get over difficulties from the class and homework in English. I personally felt a sort of identity crisis myself. At the setting of American class, I build my own image at the class by facing students in a casual way and sometimes sharing my personal experiences. However, when I started teaching here, I once felt that I have to face students with authority. At the end of the class here, eventually, I came to learn an universal lesson that it is always right to face students as human-to-human ways. As I have already told my students, I wish this course was an opportunity for them to experience something new and widen views to the wider world.
Q: What are the changes that you have seen in your alma mater?
JKS: This opportunity made me think that CNU is now leading the international education, while the international perspective might be considered a little less important when I was a college student here. I have not thought that international students are coming to my college to study together. Now I am proud of my college for this kind of internationality.
Q: Any suggestions on the internationalization of CNU?
JKS: Nothing.
Q: Please leave any message for CNU students.
JKS: Being a college student and being young means that you have time to worry, think, and wander. Whatever you think of, it is important to see the world wide, do what you think deserves to do, and do not regret. There are millions of doors to knock on, and it is up to you how many doors you can get as well as you widen your horizon. I was also once in frustration as a local college student. However, I would like to say there is no dream too good to come true. Dream your dream, keep it up, and you will get there, or at least you can get near there. Open your eyes wide so you can see your road to take.
 
Kang So-hee (Statistics, Trent University)
Q: Please introduce yourself.
KSH: Greetings. My name is Kang So-hee, the class of 1991 at CNU. I took bachelor’s degree of computer science and master’s degree of statistics. Then I entered University of Toronto in Canada taking Ph.D. in Biostatistics, worked as a researcher at Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, and am working as an assistant professor of Trent University.
Q: What is the reason for your participation in this year’s ISS?
KSH: Prof. Baek Jang-sun, my tutor for master’s degree who visited Canada for research and participation in society academy recommended this program.
Q: What do you think about the ISS?
KSH: I taught elementary statistics. While almost 150 freshmen are usually taking this class in a single session. At ISS, I taught 8 students most of whom are in the fourth year of college of engineering who are in a small group and good sense of mathematics, which was big convenience and also a pleasure for me. I appreciate all students’ dedication in spite of pop quiz in every two days. Good questions and reading out loud in the class were also greatly appreciated. (Thank you, Se-Ri, Gwang-Hoon, Dong-Gi, Joo-Hyun, Na-Yoon, Se-Woong, Soo-Gyoung, and Sun-Joong.) Thank you as well for group activities in spite of small numbers of students, even though you came straight back to your seats right after the team assignment. My special thanks also goes to the visit during office hour with coffee and pizza, Hyo-joo.
Q: What are the changes that you have seen in your alma mater?
KSH:The biggest difference I felt is that the campus is open to public. It is great to see citizens use utilities such as gym and track. Students’ English competitiveness is remarkably improved than before, probably due to English-spoken classes and English-speaking professors. Clean, newly built facilities such as research buildings, cafeteria clearly shows me the university's effort to make for the welfare and education of students. Many international students walking around the campus also impressed me.
Q: Any suggestions on the internationalization of CNU?
KSH: ISS was a meaningful opportunity not only for participating students, but also for me. I wish more students could join the next session in the future as it is a great opportunity to take classes in English without having to study abroad, and also to learn major subjects at the same time. (Of course it is difficult in the first place, but it is way more difficult when studying abroad.) More participation would have been expected in this session, which I may regret.
Q: Please leave any message for CNU students.
KSH: Have a big dream, and be positive. Have a dream on what you want to and what you are good at. Realize your dream by having positive thoughts and meeting many people. The advantage of being young lies to the fact that you will have much more days to live. As alumni of Chonnam, we are already good friends. I wish you every success in your future.

By Rigoberto Banta Jr., Student Editor

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