Dr. Sung Shin Kim spent more than a decade helping build the East Asian studies program at the University of North Georgia (UNG).
When she was hired in 2008, Kim was one of a few faculty members who taught topics related to East Asia. Now, East Asian studies is a multidisciplinary bachelor's degree that includes teaching from seven academic departments at UNG. The degree offers concentrations in Chinese, Japanese and Korean studies.
"East Asia is a major region for the world economy and world politics," Kim said. "It's a program that can equip students with knowledge of the region and the languages."
Kim, head of the program and a professor of history, was well prepared to shepherd the new degree. The native of South Korea earned a bachelor's degree in her home country before earning her master's degree in journalism at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian languages and civilizations from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Chinese Language Flagship, Project Global Officer (Project GO), and the Japan Foundation all awarded grants that have bolstered UNG's language and study abroad efforts in East Asia.
The $400,000 grant in 2016 from the Japan Foundation provided the initial funding for UNG to add a concentration in Japanese studies. It was the final piece for the East Asian studies degree program, which launched in spring 2019 and is up to 30 students as of spring 2021.
Dr. Christopher Jespersen, dean of the College of Arts & Letters, said Kim's experience has paid off in major ways for UNG.
"Her own scholarly work as an East Asianist, her enormous assistance in building our language programs, particularly our Chinese Language Flagship program, and her dedication to the students who have flocked to the program with a keen interest and a thirst for knowledge have made Sung Shin the ideal person to guide UNG's East Asian studies program from the start," Jespersen said. "UNG is fortunate to have her."
Kim said teamwork was crucial to her leadership in constructing the East Asian studies program.
"The most important thing is to know your colleagues' specialties and strengths well enough to put people in positions to succeed," Kim said.
