UWC congratulates new President of UM System Dr M Choi
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) wishes to congratulate Dr Mun Y Choi, on his appointment as the new President of the University of Missouri System - who took up office this month.
Dr Mun Y Choi became the 24th president in the history of the University of Missouri System.
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius looks forward to working with the new President to continue a prosperous and long-term partnership with the University of Missouri System.
“On behalf of the University of the Western Cape, I wish to send our congratulations to Dr Choi on his appointment as president of the UM System. He brings with him a great understanding of higher education on an international level, and no doubt will help lead the institution from strength to strength.”
The partnership between the University of Missouri and UWC dates back to 1986, when the UM Board of Curators, as part of the adoption of its South African Divestment Policy, formed and charged the South African Education Programme Committee to partner with one South African university to aid those disadvantaged by apartheid.
In that year a formal memorandum of academic cooperation was signed by the then-UM President C Peter Magrath and the late Professor Jakes Gerwel (UWC Rector at the time). This agreement had the distinction of being the first ever signed between a historically black South African university and a US university.
The purpose of the UM/UWC exchange programme is to advance mutual understanding between the institutions’ faculties and to promote collaborations in teaching, reaching, and service for the mutual benefit of each institution and of the broader community each serves.
“Since the establishment of our partnership under the leadership of Professor Jakes Gerwel, UWC has had a fruitful partnership with UM,” Prof Pretorius noted, “and we are sure the relationship will continue to bring great minds together and foster ground-breaking collaborations.”
Both institutions and the citizens of Missouri and South Africa have benefited from this model partnership.
About President Choi
Highly respected engineer and educator Dr Mun Y Choi succeeded Interim President Michael Middleton as President of the University of Missouri System this month.
Dr Choi’s 24 year career in higher education includes his former position as provost and executive vice-president at the University of Connecticut (UConn), one of the USA’s top 20 public universities in the latest US News rankings.
Born in South Korea, Dr Choi moved to the US as a child. As a young man, he worked in his family’s successful business in Chicago, and later graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in general engineering in 1987. He later earned a master’s degree and doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.
View President Choi’s CV here: https://www.umsystem.edu/media/president/mun-choi-curriculum-vitae.pdf
The UM/UWC Exchange Programme
In 2016, Missouri and UWC celebrated a 30-year partnership - UWC’s very first partnership to be elevated to the category of strategic international partnership, and one which has benefited hundreds of students and staff from both universities.
The UM/UWC exchange programme aims to advance mutual understanding between the institutions’ faculties and to promote collaborations in teaching, research, and service for the mutual benefit of each institution and of the broader community each serves. Both institutions and the citizens of Missouri and South Africa have benefited from this model partnership. Outstanding faculty members from both universities have participated in the programme.
To date, more than 500 faculty exchange visits have taken place between UM and UWC - many exchanges for less than one month, but the programme has also encouraged longer projects.
