Peter Pae, Seoul Bureau Chief for Bloomberg, visited the University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) on April 19, 2019.
Pae has been the bureau chief for Bloomberg Korea since July 2015 when he returned to his homeland after 45 years in the U.S. He oversees a foreign bureau with 60 employees. Before coming to Seoul, he was an editor and reporter at the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He is a graduate of UCLA.
This semester, the Department of Communication invited three guest speakers, including Pae, to visit UAC students and discuss journalism. The students were satisfied with the event and free lunch was provided by the Dean of Students Office and the student government.
Three professors, including Donald MacAngus, director of the Department of Communication, took charge of hosting each event. John Kim, a president of the student government, moderated.
During the special lecture, Pae shared his experience as a journalist working at various media outlets and advised students on how to build a successful academic career prior to graduation. He also stated that internships can be really important for students prior to graduation.
Young-Seo Kim, a representative of the Department of Communication, stated that the event was successful and helpful for UAC students. “I am proud of our department that we hosted the event successfully even [if] it was our first time to host the event for [the] UAC community. Also, more than a hundred students attended our events. I want to say thank you for their participation,” he said. Young-Seo also wanted to express gratitude to McCrillis for his support for the events. “Thanks to Dr. McCrillis, we could provide free lunch for the attendants. I expect Dr. McCrillis will support us more for the next events.”
Kim said that the event was unbelievable. “I was worried about the event because it was the first program of the Department of Communication,” Kim said. “Most of the faculty members, excluding the professors of the Department of Communication, didn’t attend the event at all,” he added. “They should have supported the event and for the students. However, it was a very successful collaboration between the student council and the Department of Communication to make a wonderful event for our students.”
“We are planning to host more guest speakers for next semester,” said Randall McCrillis, Dean of Students. According to McCrillis, guest speakers at special lectures are helpful for students to know how to build their career before graduation, but it can be difficult for UAC to invite a guest speaker who can speak in English and answer the questions from students.
More than a hundred students attended each special lecture. Due to the students’ level of satisfaction with the Department of Communication’s events, UAC is planning to host more special lectures with guest speakers and experts from each department during the upcoming semester.