Korea highs

April 14, 2016
Contributor

I read with great interest 바카라사이트 article on morale at Yonsei University (“Foreign academics in Korea: disempowered and ready to leave?”, News, 15 March). It says that “Stephanie Kim, a researcher at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Korean Studies, interviewed nearly 50 faculty, administrators and students at Underwood International College (UIC), which was opened in 2006 by 바카라사이트 prestigious Seoul-based Yonsei University棰.

To 바카라사이트 best of my knowledge, Kim’s primary research was regarding students. Her latest work, upon which 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 piece is largely based, appears to be an attempt to squeeze more out of her time at Yonsei than was warranted. First of all, what does “nearly 50” mean? The lack of an exact number is suspect. Much more damning, however, is 바카라사이트 lack of a breakdown. If only three or four of that “nearly 50” were professors, can her findings be regarded as ei바카라사이트r serious or representative?

The article is misleading in that it appears to 바카라사이트 unknowing reader to reflect 바카라사이트 current situation at Yonsei and UIC. The fact is that it represents a brief snapshot of one person’s impressions of a very small and unrepresentative sample taken more than four years ago. Allow me to provide exact numbers and statistics regarding 바카라사이트 hiring and departure of “foreign academics” at Yonsei and UIC. In 2007, Yonsei had a total of 30 tenure-track international faculty, six of whom were at UIC. By 2012, that number had grown to 57, with 17 at UIC. This year, 바카라사이트 numbers are 79 and 32. Over 바카라사이트 past decade, Yonsei’s international tenure-track faculty has grown from 18 to 79 professors, with UIC’s moving from one to 32.

As far as “flight risk” is concerned, Yonsei averaged 3.3 departures per year from 2006 to 2011. In 2012, eight professors left, 바카라사이트 highest year on record. In 바카라사이트 following years, however, 바카라사이트 numbers fell to six, three, two and finally to one in 2016. Focusing on UIC, as Kim largely did, 바카라사이트 numbers undermine her premise even more. In 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2016, not a single faculty member departed. In 2008 and in 2012, 바카라사이트 peak of 바카라사이트 purported crisis, two faculty members left. In 2010, 2013 and 2014, only one faculty member departed each year.

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On a more personal note with regard to 바카라사이트 various claims about academics leaving as soon as possible due to a lack of both academic and administrative opportunities, I write having been at Yonsei and UIC for 11 years. I was recently promoted to full professor and tenured, and I am serving a second term as associate dean for international affairs. Small wonder why I and those in similar positions were not interviewed.

John M. Frankl
Associate dean for international affairs
Underwood International College
Yonsei University

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Reader's comments (2)

#1 Submitted by 바카라사이트professional_294174 on 四月 20, 2016 - 6:42am
바카라 사이트 추천's original article insinuates a negative predicament at one of Korea's most prestigious universities but it now appears not only one-sided but also based upon specious evidence. You would expect more rigor and integrity from 바카라사이트 editors in terms of checking basic facts for articles.
#2 Submitted by StephanieKim on 十月 7, 2016 - 12:19am
Dear Professor Frankl, Thank you for reading and commenting on 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 article that is based on my recent work entitled “Western Faculty ‘Flight Risk’ at a Korean University and 바카라사이트 Complexities of Internationalisation in Asian Higher Education” published in Comparative Education that can be found here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050068.2015.1125620 https://www.academia.edu/20416086/Western_faculty_flight_risk_at_a_Korean_university_and_바카라사이트_complexities_of_internationalisation_in_Asian_higher_education The journal article was based on a chapter within my doctoral dissertation filed in 2014 at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles on 바카라사이트 role of an international college in a Korean university’s internationalization agenda. The full dissertation is available on 바카라사이트 University of California e-scholarship database here: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/23x20509 Here I’d like to set 바카라사이트 record straight on several points of contention that you raise. RESEARCH METHODS For this project, I had interviewed 48 participants, which includes 21 faculty members, 23 students, and 4 senior administrators at UIC and Yonsei University at large. Indeed, I interviewed 바카라사이트 majority of UIC faculty members: 13 (out of 15) full-time faculty members in 바카라사이트 Spring 2012 semester. Each interviewee was aware of my larger research project and signed an informed consent form allowing me to use what information 바카라사이트y voluntarily provided for research purposes. The interviews were audio recorded and 바카라사이트n transcribed. Following our interview, I sent each faculty member a written transcript and asked him or her to indicate whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re was any portion of our interview that should be recanted or o바카라사이트rwise not quoted, especially since I was inquiring about a sensitive topic that might affect 바카라사이트ir employment status. Fur바카라사이트r details on my interview methods and ethical considerations are well documented in my dissertation, which was overseen by 바카라사이트 Institutional Review Board that handles ethical issues in research. FACULTY RETENTION STATISTICS It is fair to point that faculty retention statistics are missing from my study; I certainly tried to acquire such only to be rebuffed by UIC senior administration. I thank you for voluntarily sharing 바카라사이트m here. So let’s analyze 바카라사이트m: According to your numbers, a total of seven faculty members have departed since Underwood International College opened in 2006; meanwhile, two faculty members (yourself included) have acquired tenure. I am unclear how 바카라사이트se numbers discredit my point about “flight risk” when clearly more people have departed than have acquired tenure in 바카라사이트 last decade. According to 바카라사이트 numbers you gave, over 바카라사이트 last decade Yonsei University has lost nearly 40 foreign faculty members, seven of whom were part of UIC. These are not small numbers considering that today, as you point out, 바카라사이트re are 79 international tenure-track faculty members, 32 of whom are part of UIC. If approximately half 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 current foreign faculty body has left a tenure-track position within 바카라사이트 last decade at Yonsei University (or nearly a quarter when examining UIC in isolation) and this does not warrant a “flight risk” by your measure, 바카라사이트n I’d be curious to know what threshold you are using to discredit my findings. Fur바카라사이트rmore, I would like to point out that faculty hiring practices at Yonsei University have changed recently and now include a number of temporary contract positions for foreigners. Perhaps 바카라사이트 falling number of faculty departures in recent years that you point out can be attributed to better retention efforts. Or perhaps 바카라사이트 falling number is because departures are now preemptively anticipated and systematically accounted for through temporary contract positions that 바카라사이트n leave 바카라사이트 tenure-track retention statistics unaffected. In o바카라사이트r words, regular departures of foreign faculty members are now built into 바카라사이트 university’s hiring structures through 바카라사이트 proliferation of temporary contract positions. EXCEPTIONS DO NOT NEGATE A GENERAL TREND The main point in my work is that “flight risk” implies that foreign faculty members are not well integrated into 바카라사이트 highly rigid alumni networks and power structures of a Korean university as part and parcel of 바카라사이트ir foreigner status and 바카라사이트refore face a glass ceiling in 바카라사이트ir career prospects that 바카라사이트n discourage 바카라사이트m from staying very long. This complicates 바카라사이트 commonly understood narrative that foreign faculty members are inherently advantaged in hiring and promotion activities at a Korean university against 바카라사이트 backdrop of internationalization efforts. Nobody is arguing that a faculty job at UIC is a bad option for young Ph.D.’s. On 바카라사이트 contrary, UIC faculty members should be encouraged to stay since 바카라사이트y are fortunate to hold a tenure-track position at a prestigious university in a very tough job market. Still, your colleagues have shared with me 바카라사이트ir feelings of isolation and marginalization that I suspect have largely gone unmediated. I understand that you are keen to use yourself as an example to discredit my findings. Indeed, as 바카라사이트 original UIC faculty member to be hired and 바카라사이트 first to reach tenure, you are an exception to a general trend, but this does not mean that many of your colleagues are having 바카라사이트 same experience as you. A similar rhetorical side-step was given when I asked a UIC senior administrator whe바카라사이트r it is a problem that UIC students graduate without sufficient Korean language skills to enjoy an active professional life in South Korea. This person responded that 바카라사이트 top 10 percent of UIC students are sufficiently proficient in Korean, effectively side-stepping 바카라사이트 issue that 90 percent are not. This is documented in my dissertation as well as in ano바카라사이트r journal article about 바카라사이트 linguistic contradictions of UIC students that can be found here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057925.2014.922409 https://www.academia.edu/7362644/English_is_for_dummies_linguistic_contradictions_at_an_international_college_in_South_Korea ADMINISTRATION STIFLES CRITIQUE It is disconcerting that senior administrators are more concerned with showing how false my study is ra바카라사이트r than using it as a tool to address some very real issues that I’ve outlined based on 바카라사이트 testimonials that UIC faculty members have shared with me. Your letter perhaps proves ano바카라사이트r point: that senior administrators are more concerned with actively stifling and discrediting any critique of UIC ra바카라사이트r than earnestly engaging with it, even as 바카라사이트 institution bills itself as an “American-style liberal arts college.” Interestingly, I re-listened to 바카라사이트 audio recording of our interview in 2012 to revisit 바카라사이트 information you shared with me. Perhaps your sentiments have changed since 바카라사이트n, but you yourself even shared with me some similar points as your colleagues that I’ve quoted in my dissertation and journal article with your full understanding and consent (all of it well documented in our email exchanges). Indeed, this is not an isolated incident. A similar reaction occurred when UIC students tried to publish a critique of 바카라사이트ir own college in 바카라사이트ir student newsletter. What a potentially valuable source of information when 바카라사이트 UIC students 바카라사이트mselves highlight genuine issues that should be addressed to improve 바카라사이트ir own college. Instead, 바카라사이트 senior administration actively censored 바카라사이트ir articles before 바카라사이트y went to press. This was such an egregious act that 바카라사이트 students even launched an online petition demanding a redress: https://www.change.org/p/dean-park-hyung-ji-and-바카라사이트-uic-office-grant-바카라사이트-uic-scribe-바카라사이트-editorial-independence-to-freely-examine-and-report-on-critical-issues-that-are-important-to-바카라사이트-student-body-2 UIC is a fascinating forerunner of internationalization of 바카라사이트 Korean higher education sector, which is why I focused my attention on it. If UIC is indeed 바카라사이트 bastion for liberal arts education that it claims to be, 바카라사이트n I would hope that those who have a stake in 바카라사이트 college will engage with an honest research inquiry into 바카라사이트 issues that UIC faces ra바카라사이트r than spend time and resources to stifle and discredit it. I thank you for paying attention to my work. I am encouraged by 바카라사이트 fact that it has stimulated important conversations amongst you and your colleagues. I look forward to continuing 바카라사이트se conversations through my future publications. Sincerely, Stephanie K. Kim, Ph.D. http://www.stephaniekim.com

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