Known traditionally for research and education in the engineering and physical sciences, the University was established by the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. Inha is a Korean-American collaboration school, even in its name: the Morpheme "In" (인, 仁) comes from the city of Incheon and "Ha" (하, 荷) from Hawaii, USA. Started as a polytechnic university in 1954, named Inha Institute of Technology (Acronym: IIT; Korean, 인하공과대학, Inha Gonggwa Daehak, colloquially Inhagongdae), the institute has been achieving national recognition and a strong reputation as a technological research university thereafter.