Greetings from the Director Happy New Year to all of our friends! We are very pleased that we had another fruitful year! In 2012, we supported 75 students‟ desires to learn and work in Asia. Through the generosity of Higgin Kim, Elinora Park and James Lewis, we awarded 34 scholarships to make their dream trips to Asia a reality. We also offered work study financial aid to 11 Asian students who came to Miami to study abroad and work as Asian culture tutors. Additionally, we helped two Miami faculty members teach and experience the culture of South Korea. Also, please join us in welcoming Dr. Terri Barr, (Marketing), and Ms. Jenni Kim. Dr. Barr recently became the Senior Director of FSB International Programs and Jenni joined as the Assistant Director. One of Dr. Barr‟s priorities is to create a sustainable, comprehensive strategy for supporting international study for our students. We look forward to sharing this plan with you as it evolves. We send great thanks to the helping hands of Miami alumni and sponsors in Asia and in the U.S. We received exceptionally strong support in Asia, including internships, lectures, company visits, local tours, and receptions. Because there are so many wonderful supporters, we cannot introduce them all in one article, but will continue to do so in future editions. Here in U.S., Mrs. Elinora Park, (donor of the Park Korea Fund), her daughter, Rozy and son-in-law Chris, continued to offer their heart-felt generosity. They invited students and International Program staff to their home for Thanksgiving dinner. In the past year, I made several presentations about the changing Korea. I was able to share my recent research data about Korea and other neighboring Asian countries and also share my views about the Korean economy, business environment, and culture. The presentations were made at Miami University (Farmer School of Business), University of Louisville, Kentucky (2nd Annual Calvin and Helen Lang Symposium), and Doshisha University, Japan (Global MBA program). I was pleased with my students‟ reactions to these presentations. Senior Sooyoung Yoon commented, “You touched on many subjects about Korea, especially its powerful economic status, growing technology, but most importantly, its mindset of globalization. You highlighted this unique mindset specifically so that we could learn from this and also have a global target in mind when venturing out into the workforce.” On a sad note, we bid farewell to our long time friend, Mr. Sukeo Kanabayashi, President of the Miami Alumni Chapter in Tokyo, who passed away this fall. Mr. Kanabayashi and his family have supported hundreds of Asia study tour groups and faculty members over the last 15 years. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. His love and support to Miami will be cherished in our hearts as a legacy. Again, our sincere thanks to all the donors, sponsors, alumni, and the staff members in FSB International Programs for your continued support and generosity, without which, none of the above would be possible. Sincerely yours,
Sooun Lee