코리아헤럴드

Following is the second of a two-part series on foreign faculty at Korean universities. - Ed.

In desperate attempts to attract both Korean and foreign minds, the government plans to invest 165 billion won ($129.7 million) in universities this year to help them invite top-quality professors from abroad.

In addition to increasing its meager share of international staff to higher levels in world university rankings, bringing top-notch human resources home is another reason why Korean universities crave state funding.

"The relatively poor research environments at universities and colleges here have resulted in a brain drain to overseas universities," said Ahn Su-mi, deputy director of academic research promotion at the Education Ministry.

"Korean undergraduates show an increasing preference to pursue further studies in the United States upon graduation."

The ultimate purpose of the massive "world-class university" project is to elevate the international competitiveness of local institutions of higher education.

Sixty-six universities turned in 477 proposals asking for a total of 483.3 billion won in grants, triple the amount that will be actually provided by the government.

An increasing share of young Koreans who earned their doctorates in the United States settled down there, according to a 2006 report by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

In the natural sciences sector, for instance, 46.3 percent of Koreans who got their doctoral degrees in the United States did not return home, up from 31.3 percent in 1999 and 20.2 percent in 1995.

Governments and institutions around the world share the pressing need for young minds and star professors with great potentials in research and development, as these individuals form an integral base for national and academic progress.

Through the "world-class university" project, Korea seeks to nurture promising new fields in basic sciences and develop interdisciplinary studies that promote knowledge-based services and new industries.

The WCU focuses on supporting new growth-generating fields that have the potential to spearhead national development. Examples include NBIC (NanoBioInfoCogno) fusion technology, disruptive tech, breakthrough tech, energy science, bio-pharmaceutics, embedded software, cognitive/brain science, financial mathematics, financial engineering, digital storytelling, human resource and organizational development, space technology and national defense sciences.

Priority is also given to interdisciplinary studies that cut across the fields of the sciences, humanities and social studies that can contribute to national, social and academic development.

This includes studies that integrate business management (personnel/organizational management) with industrial/adult studies; design/arts with engineering; mathematics with computing and business management; biology/physics with philosophy; humanities with natural sciences; and social sciences with natural sciences.

The applications for WCU grants are categorized into three types. Type 1 is to set up new academic departments or specialized majors with at least 30 percent of the faculty from abroad. Type 2 is to hire researchers from overseas universities, think tanks and companies as full-time teaching staff for existing departments. Type 3 invites renowned academics, such as Nobel laureates, who will be required to stay in Korea for at least two months a year.

Of the 996 overseas scholars who sought grants, 159 belonged to type 3.

They include 11 Nobel laureates, 18 members of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, 12 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and three members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Of the 996 applicants, 132 are professors at universities ranked among the world`s top 25 (according to a 2007 evaluation by Britain`s Times Higher Education). This group includes 18 from Harvard, 15 from UC Berkeley, 12 from Tokyo University, 12 from Cal Tech and seven from MIT.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said project fee allocation to successful applicants and contract signing will take place in late November.

The screening process of type 1 and 2 applications consists of three phases - review by panels for each field (60 percent), international peer review (30 percent) and comprehensive panel review (10 percent).

The candidate research team`s foreign scholar recruitment plan and research proposal are evaluated, in addition to the research achievements of each participant on the research team. Criteria include the number of articles published in the world`s top academic journals, the total number of citations for all articles published by the team, the average number of citations per each article published by the applicants, the participants` experience as editorial board members of high-quality international journals, the list of major research grants received, and the number of domestic and international patents achieved.

The second-phase screening is conducted by overseas peer faculty members to assess the major scientific papers and research plans of Korean and foreign applicants.

The final comprehensive panel review assesses the university`s potential to grow into a world-class institution and its capacity to create new growth engines that will lead socioeconomic advancement.

Type 3 proposals go through a single panel review and are not subject to international peer reviews.

While the WCU project is organized and overseen by the ministry, selection, evaluation, execution and managing projects costs are consigned to the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology set aside a budget of $825 million for the WCU project to be invested between 2008 and 2012.

Some observers note that universities must put more focus on securing the best professors in general, rather than the "hardware."

"Many Korean universities seem to attempt to attract students with new buildings and other facilities that - while perhaps making the campus more beautiful - does not do a thing to increase the value of the students` education," said Todd Henderson, an American studying at a Korean university.

"Having gone to a university with a `wide and open` campus will not prepare me to compete in the global world. I believe the best way for a Korean university to attract top-notch foreign professors is to spend more money on top quality Korean professors first."

By Kim So-hyun

(sophie@heraldm.com)