South Korean University Students Take Study Tour via UAlbany Partnership

Drs. Katharine Briar-Lawson and Gyun Choi, deans of social welfare at the University at Albany and Hallym University, respectively, sit before a group of Hallym students visiting the Capital Region this week for a study tour of American social service agencies. With them, third from left, is SSW Assistant Dean Dawn Knight-Thomas. At the extreme right is translator Jwakyum Kim. (Photo by Alicia Arminio)

ALBANY, N.Y. (July 13, 2011) -- The best practices of the American social welfare system are on display for a visiting professor and six students from South Korea, the product of UAlbany's ongoing 13-year partnership with Hallym University.

The 2011 study tour, hosted by the School of Social Welfare (SSW) allows the Hallym group to visit many agencies in the Albany region, including the Alzheimer’s Association, Capital District Psychiatric Center, Parsons Child and Family Center, and the Unified Services of Rensselaer County.

Each agency conducts a presentation and tour, enabling the Hallym group to acquire a better understanding of each agency’s service delivery and the programs they offer. In addition, SSW faculty are conducting lectures in their area of expertise. The tour concludes this Sunday.

Since 1999, UAlbany's School of Social Welfare has had a formal contract with Hallym, which encourages yearly one to two-week student and faculty exchanges. Some Hallym faculty members have spent a sabbatical semester at SSW.

A number of UAlbany students have visited Hallym, which is located in Chuncheon City. In addition, five University faculty members have been guest lecturers, addressing such topics as child welfare, family violence, aging, social service interventions, and social work education.

The visits represent a strong community partnership, since many agencies in the Capital Region host the Hallym students during their stay in Albany.

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