On 27 March 2020, AUA organized an online forum entitled “Universities Combating COVID-19”, hosted by Tsinghua University. Fifteen universities from all around the world took part in the online discussion, including AUA members Chulalongkorn University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, National University of Singapore, Nazarbayev University, Seoul National University, United Arab Emirates University, Universitas Indonesia and The University of Tokyo; and non-AUA universities Khalifa University, Nagoya University, University of Bologna, University of Geneva and University of Macau.
Screenshot of the online forum participants
AUA & Tsinghua University President Prof. QIU Yong delivered the opening remarks of the forum, highlighting the challenges and disruption faced by global societies in light of the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Prof. Qiu emphasized the responsibility of universities to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff is of the highest priority, and that universities should be adaptable to new online means of learning. He called for deeper unity and collaboration among university partners, stating,"Infectious diseases know no boundaries and certainly have no nationalities. In the face of this common challenge for humanity, we should unite instead of divide, we should be collaborative instead of combative."
AUA & Tsinghua University President QIU Yong delivering the opening remarks
Following the opening remarks, forum chairperson Prof. YANG Bin, Vice President & Provost of Tsinghua University invited Presidents, Vice Presidents, and representatives from fourteen participating universities to share the experience of their universities in tackling the spread of the virus. Many of them implemented similar actions such as moving all classes online, requiring faculty and staff to work remotely, cancelling overseas trips for students, faculty and staff, regular temperature checks on campus and developing contact tracing systems. Prof. Wei Shyy, President of HKUST, whose classes have been held online since November 2019, had extensive experience to share on the transition from classroom to online learning. For those universities whose campus has not shut down such as National University of Singapore, President TAN Eng Chye provided the forum with an overview of policies such as reducing class sizes, ensuring adequate spacing between students, and taking pictures of all attendees to know who was in the class. President of Nazarbayev University, Mr. Shigeo Katsu, mentioned the strategies and experience shared by other universities in combating in the virus were highly valuable as Kazakhstan was one of the latest countries to suffer a rapid spread of the virus.
The online forum provided an ample opportunity for university partners within and outside of AUA to have a virtual meeting and discuss one of the most pressing challenges to higher education in living memory. Determination and enthusiasm to collaborate, share best practices and discuss solutions are key features and principles of AUA, and even in the face of adversity, this AUA spirit continues to grow stronger and stronger.
A scene from the online forum at Tsinghua University
