Atlantic City, N.J. – Students from Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea spent a week at Stockton University exploring how hospitality, tourism and sustainability intersect in southern New Jersey through an international partnership designed to broaden students’ global perspectives.

Stockton’s Office of Global Engagement hosted seven students and one faculty member from June 22-26. The students are studying hospitality with a concentration in industry sustainability at Sookmyung, one of the world’s largest women's universities.

The visit is part of a partnership established between Stockton and Sookmyung in 2023, centered on the institutions’ shared strengths in business, hospitality and health sciences. The collaboration provides students with opportunities to study abroad, experience another culture and gain a deeper understanding of hospitality and tourism from a global perspective.

Throughout the week, the group visited academic, cultural and hospitality sites across southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, including Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s water treatment facility in Atlantic City. The experiences highlighted the region’s tourism industry, while demonstrating how sustainability and public infrastructure support local communities and visitors.

“This partnership allows us to see the hard work that goes into the American lifestyle and upholding the hospitality industry in South Jersey,” said Professor Saejun Kim, chair of the Department of Culture and Tourism at Sookmyung. “It is good for (the students) to see that they can start from the bottom, like so many of the people we met today.”

Students also met with Noel Criscione-Naylor, professor of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management, and presented their own research comparing parks and ecotourism in Seoul with destinations in South Jersey. Their discussions explored similarities, differences and opportunities for each region to learn from the other’s approach to sustainable tourism.

“There are a lot of similarities between the parks in Seoul and in Cape May and Atlantic City,” said sophomore Yedam Jeong. “There is room for improvement as well as cultural practices that each place could add to their respective ecotourism locations.”

President Joe Bertolino formalized the partnership during a 2023 visit to Sookmyung Women’s University as part of a Choose New Jersey governor-led economic mission to East Asia. The agreement established a joint study abroad program and supports the mutual exchange of students and academic resources, creating opportunities for students at both institutions to learn from one another while preparing for careers in an increasingly global hospitality industry.

One Stockton student is studying at Sookmyung this summer and additional students are planning to spend future semesters in South Korea.

--Story by Stacey Clapp; Photos by Abbigail Erbacher