Tim Park
Director of Int’l Programs, University of Hawaii at Kapiolani Community College
Context
Increasing the international student enrollment at the college was the task given to Park by the college. One reason this was important is that international students make major financial contribution to the college. The traditional way of attending college fairs in Asia and dealing with existing study abroad agents were not viable solutions to Park’s mission. He encountered problems by following the traditional ways in the beginning, as he had to compete with numerous American colleges and universities who want to recruit the same students to their schools. Innovation Park used his network of connections to brand Kapiolani CC in the Asian market. He proposed a non-traditional way for his community college campus to work with some of the prestigious educational institutions and private companies in Korea. Park slowly branded his college with the prestigious local institutions together to market his college and attract more institutions and students. For example, he developed a program with “the Westin Chosun hotel” in Korea for their employees to take hotel management courses in Hawaii and conduct an internship at the Starwood properties in Hawaii. Chosun hotel is one of the best five star hotels in Korea and by running the programs for them, Park was able to showcase a successful program with a five star hotel. This then gave Park and his college a big credential in the hospitality field of Korea and Park was able to recruit many students to his college. Park continued to develop relationships and programs with other recognized entities such as Samsung, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Korea Tourism College, Korean Air, Daewon Foreign Language High School, and so on. With a powerful record, he was able to attract second tier colleges and universities to develop more aggressive programs such as a degree pathway program (1+3), dual degree programs, one semester or one year exchange programs. In the end, Park was able to use his personal connections and networking ability to develop customized training programs for his clients, and in the process build a strong brand for his college in the Asian market. Impact The outcome of Park is simple. Kapiolani CC has doubled its international student enrollment and the college continues to receive more and more students from different countries every semester. This again plays out as a big financial contribution to the college and the college has become more internationalized by hosting more international students at the campus. Not only have the college and its students benefited, but also the State of Hawaii has benefited financially. Coffee export is the biggest export that we have in Hawaii and approximately 30 million USD is the annual dollar amount. By contrast, international students in Hawaii spend about 172 million USD per year (research done by DBEDT) in Hawaii, therefore there is no doubt that international students play a critical role in the financial wellbeing of Hawaii. Skills Park’s language skills and cultural understanding are exceptional. He uses his language and cultural skills to help conduct business both in the U.S. and in Asian countries. Park understands his mission at the college and at the same time he sought to discover the needs in the Asian market. He was able to provide what the Asian clients wanted, whether it is a pathway, program or an experience. Park’s way of approaching clients with customized programs has made him successful. |
Bio
Mr. Tim Park is Director of International programs for the University of Hawaii at Kapiolani Community College. His role involves international student recruitment and developing new relationships and programs with international partners around the world. He comes from an interesting international background, having been born in Korea and raised in Canada then returning to Korea & Japan for his university education. He has worked in Korea and Seattle prior to his current job at the University of Hawaiii. |