Published: Sept. 1, 2004

A new partnership between the CU-Boulder Division of Continuing Education and Sun Microsystems Korea is bringing 43 Korean students to Broomfield and Boulder for six months of instruction in information technology and English.

The program began in late August and will run through Feb. 11, 2005. The students will attend information technology classes mostly at the University of Colorado Interlocken site in lab space provided by Level 3 Communications Inc. English as a Second Language classes will meet at the International English Center at 1030 13th St. in Boulder.

Tuition and fees, as well as room and board, will be paid for by the Korean government for students in the program. The students come from four prestigious institutions in Korea: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Information and Communications University, Korea University and Sungshin Women's University.

"Korea would like to become one of the leading IT countries in the world," said Lou Vang, computer applications program manager for CU-Boulder Continuing Education. "To achieve this goal, the Korean government is providing grants for selected Korean students to study in leading IT countries throughout the world.

"With CU's reputation as an elite school and its close proximity to Sun Microsystems and the Interlocken technology site, CU was the ideal institution to offer this program," said Vang. "Sun Korea approached CU's Continuing Education in February about developing this program for the Korean students."

All the courses are non-credit but students will receive continuing education units for completion of their coursework, Vang said. Sun Korea hopes to continue the industry-university partnership and send more students to Colorado as early as spring 2005.