Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) is further strengthening its international cooperation framework with the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research at Teachers College, Columbia University, a globally renowned arts education institution in the fields of arts, education, and leadership. This collaboration, initiated in 2021, continues to deepen.

Professor Moon Young of Kookmin University's Dance Major currently serves as a Research Fellow at the Arnhold Institute and plays a central role in the collaboration between the two institutions. Building upon this exchange, Professors Barbara Bashaw and Matthew Henley visited on 14 November to participate as keynote speakers at an international academic symposium jointly hosted by Kookmin University and The Korean Society of Dance.

During their visit, the two Columbia professors directly observed the curriculum and educational outcomes of Kookmin University's Dance Major, broadening the scope of collaboration. They observed the regular dance performance, the ‘Kookmin Dance Festival’, directly witnessing the students' artistic capabilities. They particularly praised the excellence and systematic nature of the specialised curriculum, examining the cultural and artistic content outcomes developed and planned by the students themselves as part of practical arts education aimed at cultivating ‘Dance Innovator’.

Subsequently, they held talks with Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul, discussing various collaborative approaches for innovating dance education. Professor Barbara Bashow, on her third visit to Kookmin University, reaffirmed the department's pioneering position in dance education and expressed her commitment to ongoing cooperation.

President Jeong Seung Ryul stated, “This visit was a meaningful occasion demonstrating that Kookmin University's dance programme is keeping pace with the global stage,” adding, ‘I look forward to both universities jointly creating new models for arts education.’

Professor Moon Young remarked, “The collaboration between our institutions transcends mere academic exchange; it is a meaningful endeavour that writes a new chapter in dance education.” She continued, “Building on this visit, we will sustain diverse exchange activities, including joint research, to further enhance Kookmin University's global capabilities and contribute to the advancement of dance education.”