Message from the Rector of Ghent University

겐트대학교 총장 페트라 드 수터

총장소개

As Rector of Ghent University and President of the Board of Ghent University Global Campus, and on behalf of our entire university community, I warmly welcome you to Ghent University Global Campus. Ghent University is one of Belgium’s major universities, rooted in Europe’s rich academic and cultural tradition. Over more than 200 years, we have employed many eminent scientists: Nobel Prize winners Corneille Heymans and Maurice Maeterlinck, chemist and Bakelite inventor Leo Baekeland, and more recently, pioneers such as HIV/AIDS researcher Peter Piot and biotechnologist Marc Van Montagu. Ghent University was the first European university to establish a campus on the Incheon Global Campus, invited by the Korean government for its global reputation and top-ranked life science programs. Since its opening in 2014, GUGC has offered bachelor programs in Environmental Technology, Food Technology, and Molecular Biotechnology. Talented and hardworking students and staff are welcomed into a growing academic community. GUGC brings the European model of higher education and research to South Korea, with close student-professor interaction and early lab experience that fosters scientific insight and societal relevance. It challenges itself and its students to aim high and help solve global challenges – from health and food security to climate change and sustainability. As GUGC enters its second decade, it is transitioning from a pioneering extended campus into a fully integrated entity of Ghent University. This evolution is guided by a bold strategy built on five pillars:

• Academic Excellence: continued investment in research-led education and flexible programs, including a graduate school with Master and PhD tracks.
• Community and Wellbeing: a warm, inclusive environment where close ties support academic success and personal growth.
• Global Engagement: strengthening GUGC’s role as a portal to East Asia and beyond through student mobility, strategic partnerships, and contributions to Ghent University’s global mission.
• Innovation and Impact: promoting academic freedom and interdisciplinary collaboration, while pursuing technology transfer and societal engagement.
• Integration and Autonomy: helping shape Ghent University’s strategic direction while tailoring priorities to the unique context of the Incheon Global Campus.

We are proud of what GUGC has achieved so far and excited about the journey ahead. We invite students, researchers, and partners to join us in building a future where science, education, and global cooperation go hand in hand. Prof. Dr. Petra De Sutter Rector of Ghent University President of the Board of Ghent University Global Campus