Korean-American scholar named president of University of Missouri

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- A Korean-American scholar has been named the president of the University of Missouri's four-campus system. Mun Y. Choi, a University of Connecticut provost, is the first Korean American to assume the post. The chairwoman of the system's governing board announced Choi's appointment on Wednesday, according to local news reports. His term begins March 1. Choi, 52, was born in South Korea and emigrated to the U.S. He attended high school in the Chicago Public School District and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a master's and doctorate in engineering from Princeton. He served as an engineering professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago from 1994 to 2000 before joining the faculty of Drexel University. Choi was named as dean of engineering at the University of Connecticut in 2008, and then provost in 2012. jschang@yna.co.kr (END)