State Senator Chap Petersen's Bill Establishing S. Korean GMU Branch Campus Passes in Committee

From the Office of State Senator Petersen

February 4, 2010

CONTACT: Julia Kim
804-698-7534

Richmond, Virginia - February 4, 2010 - Senator Chap Petersen's Senate Bill no. 712, allowing for the formation of a George Mason University branch campus in Inchon, South Korea was unanimously passed by the Senate Health and Education Committee on Thursday.

Senate Bill no. 712, which is supported by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, would give Korean students the opportunity to have an educational experience in America at the Fairfax, Virginia campus, and accordingly, American students the chance to gain the same kind of experience in S. Korea and northeast Asia.

According to Petersen, this legislation would help establish a partnership that would create a long-term alliance between GMU and South Korea, while positively impacting northern Virginia's economic development.

"Given the number of Korean students in Fairfax County and our proximity to the nation's capitol, GMU is in the ideal position to mount this project," said Petersen.

"It's an exciting project, with the campus right next to the main airport, within a two-hour flight of about a third of the population in the world," said George Mason University's Provost, Peter N. Stearns.

Adding that this is one of the most ambitious international education projects thus far mounted anywhere, Stearns noted that the S. Korean branch campus, offering courses emphasizing social sciences and policy, could ultimately attract upwards of 2,000 students from various areas.

Having passed in Senate committee, Senate Bill no. 712 must now be approved by the full Senate and House of Delegates in the coming weeks.

Senator Chap Petersen represents Virginia's 34th State Senate district, which includes Fairfax City and much of Fairfax County.

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