Herald Edu, Inc., the education branch of Herald Corp., signed a memorandum of understanding on academic collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Stout, officials said Tuesday.

The MOU will initiate discussions on various partnerships between the two including Gwanak Camp English Village in southern Seoul, one of six English villages in Korea run by Herald Edu.

“The MOU with the University of Wisconsin-Stout will allow us to introduce more advanced English and character-education programs from the United States, which will upgrade the programs currently being operated in the six English villages,” said an official from Herald Edu.

“The English programs at the institutes have failed to cater to parents’ demand for novel programs, which has led to losses in profit. The MOU, which is for joint-program development and personnel exchange with the University of Wisconsin-Stout, will be the first step for change.”

The company is also holding talks with the school to improve the overall quality of teachers in the English village by hiring teachers with master’s degrees in education via the university. “If these discussions bear fruit, both the overall quality of teachers and the programs of the English villages will improve, which I hope will satisfy the students studying there along with their parents,” the official said.

Herald Edu CEO Kim Hwa-kyun closed the deal with Kristi Krimpelbein, special assistant to the university chancellor Robert Meyer who signed on behalf of the university head.

University of Wisconsin-Stout is a polytechnic university within the University of Wisconsin system. Its students, faculty and staff are said “to use applied learning, scientific theory and research to solve real-world problems.”

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)