A common pursuit of higher education in areas ranging from interfaith dialogue to policing leadership and environmental sustainability will see closer ties between Australia’s Charles Sturt University (CSU) and a leading Korean institution.

 

The Vice-Chancellor and President of South Korea’s Dongguk University, Young Kyo Oh, will visit CSU in Sydney on Wednesday 19 November.

 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a Student Exchange Agreement will be signed by President Young Kyo Oh and CSU’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing at Manly in Sydney.

 

“Dongguk University is South Korea’s only Buddhist university and its College of Buddhist Studies is considered one of the world’s leading centres of contemporary Buddhist philosophy,” said Professor Goulter.

 

CSU’s School of Theology has an international reputation for theological engagement with contemporary issues, including interfaith dialogue. This gives a strong basis for collaboration.

 

The MOU and agreement will also encompass collaboration in the fields of communication and environmental studies and policing leadership.

 

“All these areas are priorities for both institutions,” said Professor Goulter.

 

“Charles Sturt University is a leading provider of postgraduate higher education for policing, has a well respected communication and media program and for a long time has pursued teaching and research into the management and sustainability of the environment.”

 

Dongguk University is home to South Korea’s National School of Police Administration and the National Film School and has a focus on environmental sustainability as an expression of its Buddhist philosophy.

 

“The new Student Exchange Agreement also aligns with Charles Sturt University’s emphasis on increasing the number of students who undertake an international experience as part of their studies,” added Professor Goulter.

 

The visit to CSU by President Young Kyo Oh follows a trip to Dongguk University by CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers, in September.

 

Dongguk University has campuses in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and at Gyeongju in the country’s southeast.