SDSU Announces Plans to Establish New Korean Studies Program

Epsilon Systems CEO Bryan Min to Lead Effort as Advisory Board Chair

Contact:
Gina Speciale
Media Relations Specialist
San Diego State University
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu


SAN DIEGO (Monday, March 10, 2008) — San Diego State University’s College of Arts and Letters plans to establish a new Korean studies program, it was announced today. The Korean Studies program will provide students the opportunity to study the Korean language and culture, as well as help students of Korean heritage maintain their cultural roots.

“The Korean Studies Program at SDSU will assist in building bridges to the local, national and international Korean community,” said Paul Wong, dean of the College of Arts and Letters.  “Korean-Americans are becoming a larger and more established segment of the U.S. population, and this change has led to the need for a Korean Studies Program at SDSU.”

Bryan Min, chief executive officer of Epsilon Systems, a global company headquartered in San Diego, has been appointed advisory board chair.  Mr. Min will spearhead the efforts to promote the development of this program in collaboration with Wong.  Professor Soonja Choi, a nationally known linguist in the department of linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern languages, will be in charge of academic planning.

It is my privilege to be involved in establishing such a significant program that will further promote greater economic opportunities and relationships between the U.S. and Korea. said Min, who has previously served as the vice chairman of the board for the San Diego Korean Association.

San Diegos Korean community is continuing to expand and is becoming evermore relevant in influencing the identity and culture of this region, Min said.  In San Diego County, the Korean community has increased by 250% (from 10,000 to 35,000) over the last 10 years.

"San Diego is quickly becoming an important launching point into the Pacific Rim as our economic expansion is closely tied to our partnership with many of the Asian based companies such as the Korean conglomerates Samsung, Hyundai, and LG," Min said.

The new Korean studies program will also broaden students’ sensitivity to multi-cultural aspects of San Diego and the world.  There are also plans to enrich the international exchange programs at SDSU by establishing study abroad opportunities with several highly respected universities in Korea.

According to Wong, establishing a Korean studies program at SDSU will also have national significance, as the Korean language is considered a strategic and less commonly taught language, important to nation security, economic and cultural interests of the United States. 

SDSU’s College of Arts and Letters is nationally recognized for the development of language programs including the less commonly taught languages of Arabic, Persian, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Chinese.

The Language Acquisition Resource Center (LARC) in the College of Arts and Letters was the first National Resource Center funded by the U. S. Department of Education more than two decades ago and has received continuous funding since its founding. Today, it also receives funding from the Department of Defense, U.S. Congress, private foundations, and individual donors.

Classes within the new program will not only be offered to current SDSU students, but also to personnel from all branches of the military, including ROTC cadets from many universities; the business sector and students and employees in the business and governmental sectors in Mexico who have an interest in the historically and culturally significant peninsula.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 74 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s approximately 36,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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