EMBA Programs
Strategic Partnership with aSSIST University
South Korea
November 2021
In 2019, the Hanseatic League of Universities (HLU) decided at its second conference in Korea to launch a new university ranking system and formed a task force: It was titled “World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI)” and evaluates the university’s real contributions to our society. WURI highlights creative and innovative approaches to university research and education.
Leaders of the Seoul Business School at aSSIST University (aSSIST) in South Korea were the key drivers behind this initiative. For many years, Professor Hwy-chang Moon and Prof. Dong-sung Cho had been involved in research about National Competitiveness and have issued global reports on an annual basis, complementing the reports of IMD and the WEF.
In 2020, when the first edition of the WURI ranking was due to be established, Prof. Moon reached out to Franklin University Switzerland and invited President Warden to submit some FUS projects so they could include Franklin in the WURI Ranking.
Franklin University Switzerland did so in 2020 and 2021 with increasing success. In 2020, FUS was ranked #56 close to George Mason University (#54) among the Global Top 100 Universities and in 2021, it was ranked #41 among the Global Top 100, next to Yale University (#38). While in 2020, the WURI Innovation Index was based on 3 categories (Industrial Application, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Ethical Value), there were two more categories (Student Mobility and Openness, Crisis Management) in 2021. Then for this year, one more category (Fourth Industrialization) was added and Franklin submitted 6 unique projects. The 2022 ranking is expected to be made public in June.
In addition, Franklin University Switzerland and aSSIST University decided last year to intensify their collaboration. After the international Conference on “National Competitiveness” hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in Geneva on October 28, 2021 the Korean Delegation from the Institute for Policy & Strategy on National Competitiveness (IPSNC) visited Franklin University Switzerland in Lugano on November 1 and 2 to formalize a partnership of Franklin University Switzerland with the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies (IPS) of aSSIST in a festive, “unveiling” ceremony.
While on Campus, a round table discussion on the “Future of Education” served to deepen the dialogue and explore further opportunities culminating in the launch of a formal partnership in higher education by offering a joint study program at the graduate level.