Korean educators to visit Harper

Three years after Harper College’s Jill Izumikawa did research in Korea, the college will host Korean educators on its own turf — the second piece of a Fulbright-fueled program focused on encouraging cross-cultural learning.

As part of her 2010 Fulbright grant, Izumikawa, Harper’s coordinator of International Student Services, toured 11 Korean universities and stopped at businesses, cultural sites and a local high school to get a feel for the culture and the country’s higher education system. She now hopes to give Harper’s Korean visitors, all of them higher education administrators, a taste of her experiences on that life-changing trip.

“Engaging with professionals in a different country rejuvenated my passion for international education,” says Izumikawa, who has worked in international education for three decades. “When I returned to Harper College, I saw the international students differently. I have reconnected with the work I do, and am finding new ways to support these students, and I believe I’ll experience this again when the Korean administrators visit Harper.”

Nearly 90 international students are enrolled now at Harper, and more than one-third are from South Korea. Harper President Dr. Ken Ender will welcome the visiting delegates on May 15; the group will also tour Harper’s campus, learning more about the college’s facilities and programs and meeting with student representatives. Harper is among the stops on the delegates’ two-week tour of Midwest colleges and universities.