NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
7/15/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - Thirty classroom teachers from South Korea are participating in an education exchange program at Northwestern State University for the next three weeks. The delegates will participate in English education instruction, classes in pedagogy and recreational activities. Their visit is part of an agreement NSU has with Kongju National University in South Korea that encourages student and faculty exchanges between the two universities.
“The program brings Korean students seeking master’s degrees in education to NSU while allowing Northwestern faculty to participate in short courses, lectures and other academic pursuits in Korea,” said Dr. Vickie Gentry, dean of the NSU College of Education. Organizers hope to promote cultural and academic understanding between the two nations.
Within the last year, Northwestern sent 12 students abroad to teach in elementary and middle schools in Korea’s Chungnam province and has hosted two delegations from Korea. Three members of the education faculty visited the university in May to finalize the agreement. Korean officials are especially interested in training American-educated teacher candidates who will return to Korea to share their knowledge of American culture and education with their peers, Gentry said.
The delegates will be honored with a reception in which they will be welcomed by NSU President Randall J. Webb at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, July 17 at the NSU Teacher Education Center.
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