Kelley Chung, Associate Dean for Admissions and Government Affairs at Mason Korea, was recently recognized by the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Commissioner at IFEZ's 21st Anniversary Celebration.
During the event, IFEZ Commissioner Wonsok Yun honored ten individuals who made significant contributions to the region, presenting awards on behalf of the Incheon Mayor.
Chung was acknowledged for her outstanding contributions over the past six years, including her instrumental role in increasing the number of international students at Mason Korea and diversifying their nationalities. Under her leadership, student enrollment rates soared from 35.6% in 2018 to 82% in 2024, with a remarkable achievement of recruiting 69 international students from 12 different countries.
Chung has also served as an advisor to the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education (ICE), providing valuable insights into the US education system and helping shape Incheon's global education policies. In 2023, she established a new scholarship and recommendation program for exceptional high school students in Incheon, aimed at cultivating global talent in collaboration with ICE.
In 2024, Chung led the launch of Mason Korea's LLM program, enabling graduates to sit for the bar exam in Washington, D.C., further strengthening Incheon's global competitiveness. She has also facilitated an MOU between George Mason University and IFEZ, focusing on AI, bio, and cybersecurity, which has laid the groundwork for enhanced global industry-academia partnerships within the free economic zone.
"I am honored to receive this award from the Incheon City Mayor," said Chung. "The students at Mason Korea have always been my motivation to make our campus the best within the IGC. I couldn’t have achieved this without the support of my admissions and government affairs teams, so I’d like to share this award with them and our incredible students!"
