8:33 a.m., March 9, 2009----Maria Aristigueta, professor and director of the University of Delaware's School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy (SUAPP), traveled to Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 23-27 to discuss student exchange opportunities with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has offered to host approximately 10 SUAPP students for a one-week period during the coming year to share their work on urban revitalization, transportation, culture as an economic development strategy, e-government, and citizen participation.

The University of Delaware was one of 13 universities with graduate programs in public administration invited to participate in the meeting. Other schools included Cornell, Georgia, Texas, State University of New York Albany, Rutgers, Washington, Florida State and Florida International.

“The program included presentations by government officials and field trips to enhance understanding of their various projects,” said Aristigueta. “The vision of this administration is to transform Seoul into one of the 10 most competitive cities in the world.”

The leaders of Seoul hope to accomplish this goal through an economy vitalized by abundant creativity, a culture with harmonious relationships between tradition and modernity, welfare for those in need, an environment where humans and nature live in peaceful coexistence, and active participation of citizen-customers in governance with high levels of public trust.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has also offered to send two Korean students to SUAPP's Master of Public Administration program and one to the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy's graduate program next year.

In addition to members of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, including the mayor of Seoul, Se-hoon Oh, Aristigueta met with Byong-Man Ahn, Korea's secretary of education, who has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Delaware and has been a longstanding friend of SUAPP.

Article by Beth Chajes