Sugwon Kang is a retired political science professor, but he hasn't stopped teaching.
And through a Fulbright Scholar grant, Kang will teach American history and government in Korea next year.
``It's a tremendous honor,'' he said. ``Fulbright means I go as an `ambassador' for the United States.''
Kang, professor emeritus at Hartwick College in Oneonta, will lecture at Sogang University in Seoul, Korea, during the 2008-09 academic year, according to a media release from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Kang is among 800 U.S. faculty and professionals chosen to lecture, do research or participate in seminars in 140 countries, the release said. Scholars are selected for academic achievement and leadership qualities.
The program gives him opportunities to ``give back'' to his native and adopted countries, Kang said.
"I have for many years wanted to spend a year or a semester teaching at a university in Korea, hoping to make peace with my conscience as a native son who didn't return home after finishing his studies in the United States," said Kang, a U.S. citizen since 1978, in a prepared statement. "Guest lectures at universities on my brief visits to Korea over the years were always pleasant, but guest lectures aren't quite the same as teaching. Now I get to teach for a full academic year, and I find the prospect most gratifying.''
Kang said that, motivated by love of the English language, he came to the United States from South Korea at 19 to attend college in 1956. He earned an undergraduate degree at Washburn College in Topeka, Kan., in 1960. He had fellowships at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, where he earned a master's degree, and at Columbia University, where he earned a doctorate.
He taught at Brooklyn College and New York University before joining Hartwick College in 1973. Since retiring in 2002, he has taught classes at Hartwick and at the Center for Continuing Adult Learning in Oneonta.
Kang said he was surprised to be chosen for a Fulbright because of his age and status as a retiree. Korean professors face a mandatory retirement at age 65, said Kang, who is 71.
He said he will teach in English for fall and spring semesters between September and June. After giving a lecture at Sogang University in 2004, he was invited to return, and the Fulbright grant made the gesture a reality. The program provides airfare, housing and a stipend, he said.
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars, under an agreement with the Department of State, administers the Fulbright Scholar Program.
Sogang, a Jesuit university dating to 1948, is a leader in international education, Kang said. The university enrolls about 7,950 undergraduate students, according to its website.
Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the program has provided about 279,500 people with educational and exchange opportunities.
Kang is the 20th member of the Hartwick College community to be named a Fulbright Scholar, joining recent alumni Erik Wallace and Brianna Draper, who each graduated in 2007, according to a release from the college.
As part of the program, Kang said, recipients are expected to teach after returning to the United States. Though details for that phase are unclear, Kang said he looks forward to finding local avenues to share his experiences.
``I am just so excited,'' he said.
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