They were always an unlikely pair - the quiet son of a chicken farmer from Indiana and an outgoing intellectual from South Korea. But the three-decade friendship linking the deans of Duke's Fuqua and Seoul National's business school has been based on their differences, each using the other to open his mind to a new way of thinking.

Now professors Doug Breeden of Fuqua and Dong-Sung Cho of Seoul National are hoping they can pave the way for other students to do the same. In January, the two schools announced a four-year partnership that will shuttle students between the two countries to attend classes taught by faculty from both. In a move that goes beyond most management programme alliances, top students will also have a chance to win a dual degree from Fuqua and Seoul National.