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| An email sent to Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jeong Jae-chan by Southern Utah University President Scott L. Wyatt on Dec. 17 / Courtesy of Korea Times Education Abroad Program |
Southern Utah University (SUU) President Scott L. Wyatt called the FTC's allegations that the program's advertisements were exaggerated "baseless," saying students were admitted by SUU following a proper admissions procedure.
The FTC is scheduled to make a ruling on the future of the partnership program today, saying that like other study-abroad programs, it offers conditional admissions to students so its advertisement is exaggerated and contains misleading information.
"The Korea Times program will provide English and general education courses only to students who have been admitted by SUU as degree seeking students," Wyatt said in an email to FTC Chairman Jeong Jae-chan on Dec. 17.
The program's operator said programs such as the Korea Times Education Abroad are common in many other countries.
Wyatt raised a question about the fairness of the FTC's investigation.
"Regarding the Fair Trade Commission's preliminary decision at the hearing for the Korea Times education program, SUU is curious to know why our previous correspondence supporting Korea Times Education was not considered," he said in an email sent to the program operator.
"And why this foreign government body believes it should have a say in how and where SUU provides educational experience to its admitted students," he added.
Currently, eight U.S. universities with 18 campuses across America recognize the Korea Times Education Abroad Program as one of the official ways to recruit Korean students. They are the State University of New York, California State University, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, Central Washington University, Washington State University, the University of Montana and the University of Maine.
The Education Abroad Program made its debut in 2006. Nearly 2,000 Korean students have since entered U.S. universities through the program.
About 300-400 students get admissions to American universities through the program each year, according to the program operator.
People admitted to U.S. universities under the Education Abroad Program are regarded as regular students, said the SUU president.
"In working with the Korea Times program, we have articulated general education courses that students may take in Korea to help prepare them for their academic experience at SUU," Wyatt said.
He noted that students who took preparatory courses before arriving in the U.S. were "better situated for college level work."
This claim challenges allegations by the FTC that those who enter U.S. universities through the program are non-regular students who can be converted into regular ones only after passing a test on English proficiency and basic academic knowledge, which takes place at the end of the first year of the four-year program.
