Rutgers & South Korea

For many students, a passport is more than a travel document; it’s a ticket to global study, research, and career opportunities. Recognizing this, Rutgers Global–Study Abroad launched the Passport to the World initiative in 2022, designed to increase the number of matriculated Rutgers students with U.S. passports across all campuses: Newark, Camden, Rutgers Health, and New Brunswick. 

One of those students is Le’Nahjaa Bailey (Rutgers-New Brunswick, Class of 2026), who received her first passport through the program and spent the summer studying at Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea. Bailey, also a Gilman Scholar, described the experience as transformative.

Rutgers University was proud to participate in the Climate Corps Summer School 2025 program hosted by Korea University (KU) this summer, bringing together students and scholars from around the world to address the global climate crisis through innovation, education, and partnership. Three students from Rutgers attended the program: Audree Gousse, Eva Brozovsky, and Alex Varela Reyes. In addition, two Rutgers faculty members attended, Ahmed Aziz Ezzat, Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Victoria Ramenzoni, Associate Professor in Marine Policy and Social Sciences. 

As part of Rutgers University’s growing Korea–US engagement strategy in the biomedical and health sciences, Rutgers Global and Rutgers Health co-hosted a Symposium on Korea–US R&D Collaborations and Funding Opportunities on Thursday, June 19, at Richard Weeks Hall on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus. The symposium was the culmination of several collaborative events between Rutgers and K-BioX, a global bio-health innovation platform that connects Korean and international institutions to advance research partnerships.

After nearly two decades, Rutgers University proudly welcomed back alumni Professor Euichul “Charles” Jung for a heartfelt reunion with faculty, students, and the Korean community at the School of Communication and Information. Now serving as director of library services and professor of media studies at Sangji University in South Korea, Professor Jung's return underscored the enduring bonds within the Rutgers global network.

Rutgers took a significant step to enhance innovation through its global partnerships during a trip to South Korea in October by a high-level delegation of the university’s academic and research leaders, marking a pivotal moment in the university's global outreach efforts.

At Rutgers-Newark, graduate student Mi Hyun Yoon found a mentor who helped inspire her to research Korean American history—rarely the focus of academic study—and a place to pursue her goals as an activist.