Kyung Hee University and the University of Pennsylvania signed a General Agreement for Academic Exchange in October 2005, setting up the Penn-Kyung Hee Collaborative. Founded in 1740, Penn was the first academic institution in the United States to institute the modern university system. As a leader in interdisciplinary education and research, it has been building an academic tradition that harmonizes theory and practice.

Humanity hopes for a future in which diversity and uniformity can peacefully coexist. As such, we must overcome the distortions and perversions of history to pave the road to empathy, consensus, reconciliation, and convergence. The Global Collaborative intends to establish a new paradigm of university education that integrates education, research, and practice. The Global Collaborative is a forward-looking effort for diversity and for the establishment of humanity's shared values and knowledge through cooperative exchange programs that transcend borders.

By 2008, the Global Collaborative was expanded to include China's Beijing University, Japan's Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), Russia's Moscow State University, the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs (DESA), and the UN Conference of NGOs (CoNGO). Currently, the Global Collaborative is leading international cooperation on the topic of "Humanity, Civilization and Global Governance."

The Global Collaborative organizes lectures by professionals from international organizations such as the UN and CoNGO and provides various practical internship opportunities such as the Civic Service Internship. Collaboration among participating universities and institutions will be expanded in the future as students are offered opportunities to participate in the Global Collaborative program while they are enrolled at Kyung Hee.