On March 13, the first Guangdong Friendship Award ceremony was held in the province's capital city of Guangzhou. Professor Young Joon Park of Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS), together with 48 other expats, received the "Guangdong Friendship Award" for making outstanding contributions to Guangdong’s development and international exchanges. 
 

Prof. Park receiving the 1st Guangdong Friendship Award
 

The award, established by the Guangdong Provincial Government, is the highest given to foreign experts. This year, awardees from 23 countries have made significant contributions in various areas such as economic development, education, scientific research, city affairs, and sports. Only eight of them are from Shenzhen and Park is the first PKU faculty member to receive this honor.

 

Prof. Park at the ceremony
 

Park joined PHBS in 2009 right after earning his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, San Diego. Located in Shenzhen, PHBS was founded in 2004 to bring Peking University’s historical presence and first-tier business education programs to the country’s south. “I was very excited to be part of the school’s development,” said Park, admitting that PHBS’s rapid development, which has benefited from the thriving city, had far exceeded his expectations.
 

In the past 13 years, Park’s dedication and commitment to the school’s growth have been highly praised by faculty and students, winning him several awards. As PHBS associate dean and teaching associate professor of economics, he has played multiple roles in teaching, academics, and administration.
 

Park has successively opened six different courses including Advanced Microeconomics, Game Theory, and Behavioral Economics, and teaches on average 144 class hours a year. As his teaching quality and techniques are well received by students, Park has received the Outstanding Teacher Award of Shenzhen and several faculty teaching awards from the school and PKU Shenzhen Graduate School. Most of the graduates he has supervised have gone on to pursue careers in the financial sector, while several others have completed their overseas doctoral studies and joined key universities as faculty.
 

When Park joined PHBS, the school was still in the early stages of development. He has brought his expertise to a variety of administrative roles, which task him with such issues as relations with international partners, school strategy, and faculty recruitment. He is currently responsible for the development of our international cooperation. With noticeable contributions, Park has received the PHBS Outstanding Service Award and the PKU Friendship Award, which recognizes high-level expats who have worked at PKU for a long time and made vital contributions to the university.
 

As a foreign faculty member, Park continues to actively develop his understanding of Chinese culture and language, keeps up-to-date with our country's policies and school regulations, and acts as a bridge between the school and foreign faculty to enhance their understanding of the school’s policies and to resolve any culture shock. During the epidemic, he put much time and effort into communication between international faculty and students through online meetings and lectures, ensuring teaching quality and student cultivation.
 

As PHBS associate dean, he has carried out many undertakings and invested much energy in the development of higher education in Guangdong. He has not only contributed to the development of PKU Shenzhen, but also cultivated cohorts of outstanding leaders for Shenzhen and Guangdong Province. He has also participated in the scientific research projects of the Shenzhen Municipal Futian District and provided advice and suggestions for the region’s development. 
 

Indeed, an excellent faculty member speaks volumes about a school’s standards and blueprint. As one of the most internationalized schools in China, PHBS has been striving to attract top-tier expats to leverage opportunities to promote regional development. In recent years, PHBS has continued to make solid progress in talent introduction and faculty development despite the challenges brought on by the epidemic. Through the efforts of the Recruitment Committee, HR Office, and International Office, three outstanding foreign scholars from India, Turkey and Poland, all with PhDs earned from world-leading universities, joined the school in the fall of 2022. In 2022, Associate Professors Jaehyuk Choi, Jooyoung Park, and Jake Zhao passed Peking University’s tenure review, becoming the first foreign faculty to be awarded tenure at our school.

By Annie Jin