Chang Koh: Glad to be a part of the American educational system

		Chang Koh, associate professor of business computer information systems, is one of UNT's resident experts on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Chang Koh, associate professor of business computer information systems, believes that being successful means being happy with what you're doing, so he considers himself very successful.

Koh spends much of his time researching electronic commerce, electronic government and mobile computing. He is an internationally recognized expert on the North American Free Trade Agreement and was recently invited to Mexico to help the faculty at Colima University establish a research program.

As the youngest of four children, Koh had two sisters and a brother to look up to when he was growing up. However, he credits his parents as being the two most influential people in his life and would like to see more of their kind of generosity in today's society.

"They were very supportive and I think they set the tone for my life because they taught me how to sacrifice," he says. "They always put the interests of others ahead of their own. We need more people like that in the world."

Koh is a native of Korea, where his high school experience was dramatically different from those of the students he teaches today. He remembers all too well the stringent nature of his high school 30 years ago.

"It was very structured and very rigid," he says. "In America, you're encouraged to find what you're good at and do that. In Korea it didn't matter what you wanted to do. They looked at your grades and told you what field you should go into."

The rigid routine of high school eventually paid off for Koh. After graduating, he attended Yonsei University in Korea where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics.

He later earned his master of business administration degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and his doctorate in management from the University of Georgia at Athens. He has been teaching at UNT since 1999.

Peyton Roden, Regents Professor of finance and director of the Center for NAFTA Studies, says he enjoys working with Koh on NAFTA research.

"He is a terrific asset for the University of North Texas and the College of Business Administration," Roden says. "It's always a pleasure working with him."

When Koh isn't teaching, he works in his garden growing vegetables. He is also health conscious and enjoys bike riding to stay in shape. Last month, Koh traveled to Korea for the first time in seven years to visit his family and attend a conference.

"I miss Korea sometimes, but I'm happy here in America," he says.

BY TY JONES ucmwri2@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Maya Angelou to speak at UNT April 20
• UNT presents honorary degree to King of Thailand in March ceremony
• Own a piece of UNT
• Honors Day speaker part of a tribute to UNT's 50th anniversary of desegregation
• Annual jazz festival begins today in Addison
• Faculty Senate hears faculty mentoring report
• UNT health center receives national recognition
• Major retailer touts UNT's merchandising program as one of the best in the nation
• UNT departments on the move
• Economist: Elite female college basketball players worth $300,000 a season
• Staff Council changes bylaws
• Survey shows UNT students a bit more liberal than peers

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