Chair Professor Joseph Hun-wei LEE, Vice Chancellor and President of the Macau University of Science and Technology (M.U.S.T.) traveled to Korea from October 23 to 29, 2022, to strengthen ties and reach cooperation agreements with key higher education institutions.
He was accompanied by a M.U.S.T. delegation which included the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts (FA) Professor Zhang Zhi Qing, the Program Director of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management (FHTM) Associate Professor Wong Weng Chou Jose, FHTM Professor Timothy Lee, and FA Assistant Professor Lee Joo Yeon.
On the morning of October 24, Chair Professor Joseph Hun-wei LEE and the M.U.S.T. delegation visited Sungkyunkwan University, located at the South Korean capital of Seoul. They were warmly welcomed by the Dean of the School of Art Jisook Chung, who gave a brief introduction of the school and its interdisciplinary training plan and showed great interest in the possibilities brought by cooperation between both institutions. President LEE introduced M.U.S.T. and the development of the University in recent years, and likewise Dean Zhang Zhi Qing introduced the latest progress of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts.
Photo of Chair Professor Joseph Hun-wei LEE (Center) and Dean of the School of Art Jisook Chung (3rd from left)
Afterwards, Sungkyunkwan University was introduced by the President Dr. Dong-Ryeol SHIN, the Vice President for International Affairs Hyun Soon PARK, and the Head of the Education & Research Center Jang Hyun Kim who conducted the delegation to the signing of the cooperation agreement. President LEE started by stating the achievements of M.U.S.T. in both the THE and Shanghai Rankings, the advantages brought by the Greater Bay Area, and the newly founded Faculty of Innovation Engineering (FIE). Both parties affirmed the intention of focusing on the interchange of education and research by means of faculty and student exchange, joint research activities, sharing of academic materials, focused short-term academic programs, and staff development projects, and viewed positively the prospect of cooperating in areas such as artificial intelligence, computer science, and various engineering fields.
From left: President Joseph Hun-wei LEE and President Dong-Ryeol SHIN
Group photo with President Joseph Hun-wei LEE (center) and President Dong-Ryeol SHIN (4th from right)
In the afternoon of the same day, the M.U.S.T. delegation proceeded to Korea University to meet the Administrative Director of Planning and Budget and concomitant Director for the University Policy Research Institute Yeonho Choi, from the School of Biomedical Engineering. The delegation visited the main laboratories of the school, was introduced to the staff, and learned about Korea University’s interdisciplinary research initiatives with great interest as FIE also gives great importance to this aspect in academic training.
Group photo with Prof. Yeonho Choi and President Joseph Hun-wei LEE (respectively 5th and 6th from right) and the delegation
President Joseph Hun-wei LEE visiting the School of Biomedical Engineering laboratories
Subsequently, they headed to the College of Health Science, the College of Medicine, and its Medical Library, where they met Dean SungHoi Hong, Chairman of the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evolution and Member of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea Hee Chul Han, and Director of the Medical Library Dr. Im Joo RHYU, respectively, and gained an in-depth understanding of the Korean medical system and training plan of medical students. They visited the main laboratories and facilities of the Medical School, were indicated some of the alumni donations, and were introduced to the features of Korean private universities.
Group photo with Dean Sunghoi Hong and President Joseph Hun-wei LEE (respectively 4th and 5th from left)
President Joseph Hun-wei LEE visiting the laboratories of the Medical School
President Joseph Hun-wei LEE visiting the Medical Library
On the morning of the next day, October 25, the President and the delegation visited Yonsei University. They were greeted by the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering Professor Jong-Moon Chung, and professors of the Departments of Computer Science and Civil Environmental Engineering, at a meeting held at Engineering Hall 1, located near the main gate of the university campus. At the meeting, President LEE focused on introducing FIE and the international rankings of computer science and hotel and tourism management courses. In return, he was introduced to the curriculum design, the student training plan, and the interdisciplinary cooperation initiatives of the College of Engineering, the College of Computing, and the AI Water Informatics course.
Associate Dean of the College of Engineering Professor Jong-Moon Chung making an introduction of the college
Group photo at Yonsei University
In the afternoon, they arrived at Sejong University and were welcomed by the President of Sejong University Professor Deg-hyo BAE, the Vice President Professor Seungbin Moon, the Dean of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management Professor Hee Chan Lee, and the Dean of the Design Innovation Department Jinsung Kim. President LEE and the delegation were invited to a campus tour, visited the Media Communication Department, the Comics & Animation Technology Department and the Design Innovation Department of the Faculty of Creative Studies, the latter held a student Graduation Exhibition entitled “Glow Glow”. The MOU signing ceremony took place afterward, in which both parties asserted the focus on student and academic exchange, new education programs, and joint research.
President Joseph Hun-wei LEE visiting the student Graduation Exhibition
President Joseph Hun-wei LEE visiting the Design Innovation Department of the Faculty of Creative Studies
President of M.U.S.T. Joseph Hun-wei LEE(Left) and President of Sejong University Deg-hyo BAE(Right) at the MOU signing ceremony
Group photo after the signing ceremony
From 26 to 28 October, while President LEE was invited to give a keynote speech at the International Estuarine Ecology Symposium 2022 (IES2022), the M.U.S.T. delegation carried on with their visit to universities located in the large port city of Busan. In the early afternoon of October 27, they arrived at Kyungsung University to be warmly greeted by the Dean of the School of Global Studies Hak-Seon Kim. He introduced the university’s overseas exchange programs and the local students’ study curriculum. Afterward, the delegation went on to visit teaching facilities and meet some of the overseas students. They were very keen to learn more about the learning environment of Macao, the M.U.S.T. University, and the possibility of pursuing further studies at M.U.S.T.
Group photo of the delegation with Kyungsung University representatives
M.U.S.T. Delegation meeting with foreign exchange students
The next day, on the morning of October 28, they visited Dongseo University. The delegation started by visiting the International College of Digital Media Design, which is among the best in South Korea, to be greeted by Dean Lee Dong-Hoon, the Director of the International Affairs Office Kenneth Hahn, and the Director of the Graduate School Choi Won-Ho. The delegation was introduced to the student exchange programs and discussed the prospect of co-organizing courses with majors of the M.U.S.T. Faculty of Humanities and Arts. In the afternoon, they continued the visit by visiting facilities with state-of-the-art equipment for film, animation, and digital imaging.
Group photo of M.U.S.T. delegations and Dongseo University representatives
Group photo of M.U.S.T. delegations and the Dongseo University International Affairs Office
The M.U.S.T. delegation visiting the facilities with state-of-the-art equipment for film, animation, and digital imaging
President LEE stated that M.U.S.T.’s strategic planning focuses on three main components – academic excellence, diversity, and internationalization – and that he firmly believes these cooperation agreements will enable all institutions to “capture the research opportunities presented by the development of the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area as well as those presented by this new age of globalization”.
The visits ended in positive aftermath, in which President LEE expressed his gratitude for the hospitality provided, the hope that by exerting their strengths all sides can reach greater heights in areas of common interest, and his wish to engage in more fruitful and deeper collaboration in the coming years.
