Country Spotlights

 

Finland and the University of Washington’s formal partnership, which has gained a national reputation for excellence, has developed exponentially in the past several years and has resulted in Finland becoming a key partner in advancing education opportunities for students. This partnership has been facilitated by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Finland, with proactive support from the Finnish government furthering our academic alliance. In fact, UW is the only U.S. institution of higher education that offers a Finnish major. The Finnish National Agency for Education provides summer exchange opportunities for UW students, centered around Finnish language study, while the UW’s FinWA program brings visiting Finnish scholars to lecture here.

 

The UW and India have a robust research and student exchange relationship, supported by extensive research grants focusing on global health, engineering, and public policy. Innovative UW-India programs like the Grand Challenges Impact Lab emphasize student experience and empowerment. The inception of Indian studies at UW was the introduction of a course on Sanskrit  in 1909, and today the UW offers several more official languages of India through our South Asia Center. Our India Initiative strives to increase engagement with India across sectors of shared value and interest, from social science to climate resilience.

 

The University of Washington’s deep and long-standing ties with Japan began in 1910, with a course on classical Japanese literature. Now, academic and industry partnerships between the UW and Japan are spearheading groundbreaking research in semiconductors, disaster sciences, and artificial intelligence. On the cultural and linguistic front, our Department of Asian Language & Literature and Center for Japanese Studies have been instrumental in the development and expansion of Japan studies in the Pacific Northwest and across the U.S. Our iconic Yoshino cherry trees, planted in the 1930s on the Quad, are a reminder of this enduring friendship.

 

Kenya and the UW’s strong academic relationship has excelled in the areas of global and public health, environmental sciences, and law. Kenya is a top partner for medical research, with the School of Public Health and affiliated centers like the Kenya Medical Research Institute accelerating our understanding of diseases and driving the development of effective treatments. Another robust institutional partnership between the UW Barer Institute with the Kenya Judiciary and Kenyan National Human Rights Commission trains Kenyan magistrates. A shared vision for bettering peoples’ lives through sustainable development and transformative impact underlies our collaborative efforts.

 

Korea is a critical collaborator for the UW in STEM, economics, and business, based on strong institutional partnerships between many of the UW’s schools and colleges with major Korean universities and a shared drive for technological and academic achievement. Collaborative UW-Korea culture studies highlights the areas of social computing, modernization, and the power of youth culture. The Center for Korea Studies, housed in the Jackson School of International Studies, has been a cornerstone of Korean studies in the Pacific Northwest for decades. Our Korean community forms a vibrant network of faculty, students, and alumni, facilitated by annual conferences and the UW’s several thriving Korean student associations.