USU has agreed to cooperate in an international partnership with Far East University of Southern Korea to allow students from both schools to trade places for a set period of time. Faculty from both universities are collaborating to establish the steeping stones needed to further solidify the partnership and have students study abroad in January, said Mary Hubbard, vice provost for international education. “We have signed a memorandum of understanding, or an agreement, stating that we will investigate the next steps,” Hubbard said.Students are allowed to participate in exchange programs all over the world and opening South Korea for educational purposes will broaden the scope of culturally diverse opportunities. Hubbard said she is also working on a partnership with Mongolia where she recently visited to follow up with students who attended USU summer semester. The international education department has a goal to continually increase partnerships with international universities, Hubbard said. It’s to any student’s advantage to study outside the country because “a lot of businesses work outside U.S. boundaries,” she said. “It’s ideal to learn a different language and live in that culture.”Far East University, located in Gamgok-myeon, South Korea, was opened in 1994 by Dr. Taek-hee Lyu. The school has developed eight colleges and seven independent departments, according to the university’s Web site at www.kdu.ac.kr.