By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee

Governor Oh Young-hoon of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province held a meeting with Ben Nelson, founder of Minerva University, a world-class innovative education institution in the U.S., at the Buyeong Hotel on May 12, and held in-depth discussions on future educational cooperation.

During the meeting, Governor Oh said, “I hope that a cooperation model with Minerva University will be established in the fields of carbon neutrality, energy transition policy in 2035, and private space industry, which Jeju Island is promoting.” “In these fields, Jeju University has human resources and sufficient conditions, so I hope that a cooperation model will be established first.”

Gov. Oh also said, “Jeju Province and Jeju University are running the RISE program together to foster talent in the energy and civil space sectors. If we can create a program that can be participated in with universities around the world, including Minerva University, Jeju will have new opportunities.” He asked for Minerva University's continued cooperation.

“The founding philosophy of Minerva University is to make everything we do at Minerva University applicable and transferable to universities around the world,” said Ben Nelson, founder of Minerva University.

“We are always open to discussing various topics, goals, and objectives so that local governments and local institutions can incorporate Minerva University's programs,” he said, adding that he is positive about the collaboration with Jeju.

“We believe that Jeju Province's carbon neutrality, energy transition policies, and private space industry are good examples of how Minerva University's systems thinking method can be applied to create new solutions,” he said, adding that ”Jeju can be an effective laboratory for applying incremental systems thinking, as research in sustainability-related fields utilizes an incremental mindset rather than finding breakthroughs.”

The two sides discussed possible collaborations in the areas of carbon neutrality and energy transition, human resource development programs in the private space industry, global faculty residency programs, and the Minerva Korea program in partnership with Jeju National University, among others.

Minerva University currently operates more than 20 programs worldwide and is building a three-year undergraduate business program in Honolulu, Hawaii, which is expected to have synergies with Jeju.

Jeju Province has recently expanded its global educational collaborations through its 'Learning+Vacation' program, which combines learning and vacation.

“It's a great opportunity to expand the value of a vacation,” said Nelson, ”especially for people who want to continue learning while having time to spare in the age of aging.”

Jeju Province already has collaborative programs with Princeton University, Kyoto Graduate School of Information, and Tokushima University in Japan, so the partnership with Minerva University will further strengthen the island's status as a global education hub.

Starting with this meeting, Jeju Province and Minerva University will continue to discuss practical cooperation plans.

Minerva University is a global university with campuses around the world that has introduced innovative educational approaches, and is widely known for its educational programs that help students from around the world develop problem-solving skills through systemic thinking and analytical skills.