Sen. Chap Petersen’s legislation, Senate Bill 712, establishing a George Mason University branch campus in the Songdo area of Inchon, South Korea, was passed unanimously (96-0) by the House of Delegates on Friday.
SB 712, which is endorsed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, would give GMU students the opportunity to study abroad where they can interact with Asian cultures and other universities within Korea and the Asian Global University system. Korean students will also be able to transfer to the Fairfax, Virginia campus.
Delegate Mark Keam (D-35), who carried the bill in the House of Delegates, added that SB 712 is a jobs bill that will expose the Commonwealth as an ideal place to do business.
According to Dr. Young-chan Ro, Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies and Director of GMU’s Korean Studies Center, the South Korean government is preparing Songdo to be one of Asia’s major financial, cultural and intellectual centers, has a keen interest in maintaining a close relationship with the Unites States and, furthermore, a special interest in northern Virginia as a high-tech business hub.
“Songdo is quickly becoming a center for interaction between the United States and Korea, and it will be an interesting bridge between the two nations in terms of influencing American interests in the Asia Pacific region,” added Ro.
Betty Jolly, Director of State Government Relations at GMU, has stated that general fund money would not be used to finance the building and operation of the branch campus, and Dr. Ro has revealed that the South Korean government has already pledged $1 million to GMU for project capital.
“The Republic of Korea is one of most economically dynamic areas in the world and this will give Virginia a platform to attract foreign investment as well as facilitating cultural and academic relationships,” said Petersen.
SB 712 will be presented to Governor McDonnell in the coming weeks for final approval.