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The article looks at efforts by South Korean universities to recruit and hire foreign professors to teaching and research positions at their schools. It describes the aims of this effort, called the World Class University Project, which include the South Korean government's desire to modernize that have led them commit money to this endeavor. It also describes the competitive salaries that have attracted foreign professors from Europe and the U.S., mentions how problems with the U.S. economy have prompted many college teachers to look overseas for jobs, and highlights the hiring of foreign teachers at Sogang University, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist), and Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech).

The article examines the difficulties facing American professors working in South Korea. It notes that the country has increased practices to internationalize its colleges and universities, spending more resources on recruiting foreign teachers. However, the author states that issues such as integrating into the faculty, contract policies that favor Korean academics, and poor retention practices have led to low success rates for American professors. Particular attention is given to disputes from professors Michael Foster and Steven Jordan with Korea University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist) over their termination.

The article discusses South Korea's National NanoFab Center in Daejeon. Run by the prestigious Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist), it is an example of the government's support for research and development in advanced fields such as nanotechnology. In an arrangement typical for South Korea, Kaist donated the land, the local and national governments paid for construction, and the institute provides fabrication and other services for consumer electronics company Samsung Electronics. Samsung sponsors a course at Kaist teaching about microchips to students, who will likely work for Samsung as graduates. The Daejeon center created the world's smallest transistor in 2006, the smallest nonvolatile flash memory device in 2007 and a unified random-access memory in 2008.

The article discusses differences between U.S. universities, who are struggling with the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, and universities in France, South Korea and Australia, who are protected by their governments from the effects of the recession. The information was gathered at the 2009 International Presidential Forum, a gathering of presidents of science and technology universities. Some attendees expressed concern about the ability of the U.S. to remain a leader in higher education. ParisTech, which receives about 70 percent of its funding from the French government, is building a campus in the Paris suburbs. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, site of the conference, received $50 million in additional government funds for sustainable development projects.

The article profiles the president of South Korea's Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or Kaist, Nam Pyo Suh. The author states that in just nineteen months in office he has initiated sweeping changes that are aimed at transforming the institute into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of Asia. Reforms of the institution include increasing private financial support, more strict student admissions, and requiring that all freshman classes be taught in English. The author states that most are supportive of the changes, yet some have taken issue with the speed of reform.