Three faculty members from The Ohio State University's College of Social Work (CSW) recently took their Ohio State pride halfway across the world to Inje University in Gimhae, South Korea. The delegation, comprised of assistant professor Joyce Y. Lee, professor Sharvari Karandikar, and associate professor Sehun Oh—all from CSW—engaged in a two-day visit aimed at fostering professional relationships and exploring global engagement opportunities, according to a recent article from the Ohio State News.
Their agenda included a university-wide research forum and dialogues with the university leadership and cross-campus initiative teams. "It was a rewarding experience building global connections that could potentially broaden CSW’s reach and impact," Joyce Y. Lee told Ohio State News. The trip was part of a continuing dialogue initiated more than two years ago when Dae Hee Lee, vice president for external affairs at Inje, visited Columbus to propose a global exchange program—something CSW already practices in other countries.
Ohio State's vice president Lee voiced excitement at hosting the Buckeyes, notably following their national championship victory. Meanwhile, Minhyon Jeon, president of Inje University, expressed a warm welcome, underlined by an affinity for Ohio State. “It was heartwarming,” said Karandikar when referring to President Jeon's hospitality in an Ohio State News interview.
This wasn't just a meet-and-greet, the Ohio State scholars engaged through knowledge sharing, grappling with language barriers with the help of AI translation tools provided by Inje. "They were incredibly accommodating. I’ve encountered language barriers before, but people were so kind and understanding," according to Ohio State News, Karandikar recounted her experience. Sharvari also lauded the exceptional welcome the trio received, highlighting sandwiches adorned with 'Welcome, Ohio State' stickers—a gesture she found quite memorable.
The Ohio State professors took away significant insights from their visit, noting the benefits of such international partnerships. Joyce Lee reflected on the importance of exposure to different social welfare systems, which she found eye-opening and potentially enriching for their faculty and students. Karandikar shared Ohio State’s values and passion for global engagement with their counterparts, endorsing international collaboration as key to expanding perspectives within their field.
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