Last week I announced that I will finish my term as dean of the Mason Korea campus in June 2024, at the end of our Spring 2024 semester. When I leave, I will have spent over five years here in Songdo.
It has been, and continues to be, a privilege and a pleasure to serve as Mason Korea's campus dean. However, I have family and other obligations back in the United States. When I leave Mason Korea, I will return to Mason’s English department, where I began my career at Mason back in 1993. A search for the new campus dean will begin soon.
It is not easy to leave this campus and community. There is much that I will miss: the dynamism and promise of Mason Korea, which has grown tremendously in size and scope of activity since its founding nine years ago, the skill and dedication of Mason Korea’s faculty and staff, the rich intersections between US and Korean cultures, the great kindness and generosity of our Korean hosts, and most of all the sincerity, diligence, and talents of our terrific Mason Korea students, whose multicultural and multilingual capacities consistently impress me.
Leaving is made easier, however, by my knowledge of these same qualities of our Mason Korea community. I know that Mason Korea will continue to thrive, that I will be leaving the campus in good shape and good hands.
And I am not leaving yet! I have another nine months of which I plan to make the most. I’m not just talking about traveling the country, continuing to try to learn Korean, and enjoying Korean food, though there will be plenty of that. Mason Korea has a set of ambitious goals and projects for this and the following semester.
Among these projects is the celebration of Mason Korea’s 10th anniversary, which will take place between June 12 and June 14, 2024. The celebration is going to be big—so big we have been planning it since the beginning of the year. There will be something for everyone during the celebration. Please save the date and come join us. I look forward to seeing you there, connecting or reconnecting, and celebrating Mason Korea’s past and future.
September 18, 2023
