On 23 September 2020, AUA Secretary Dr. ZHANG Chuanjie featured as a guest panelist on a webinar hosted by AUA member Universiti Malaya (UM) themed "New Directions and Roles of International University Associations", as part of the UM International Webinar Series. Dr. Zhang was joined alongside by Dr. Christopher Tremewan, Secretary General of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director of the ASEAN University Network (AUN). The event was moderated by Prof. Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian, Director of the International Relations Office at UM.
AUA Secretary Dr. ZHANG Chuanjie during the UM webinar
Dr. Zhang provided a general overview of the structure and operations of AUA as well as highlighting many of the AUA programs and activities which have taken place since the founding of the Alliance in 2017. As the theme of the webinar was focused on new directions and roles of university associations, Dr. Zhang also relayed some of the efforts and initiatives carried out by AUA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as theOnline Forum on Universities Combatting COVID-19; publishing members'research,teaching and learning initiativeson the AUA website, as well as shifting the third round ofAUA Working Group Meetingsto take place in an online format.
During the Q&A session, some of the questions from the audience centered around the potential of joining future AUA activities and whether or not student mobility was being encouraged at the present moment. Dr. Zhang stressed that the safety of students was paramount and AUA would not be encouraging face to face student exchange programs until the situation had improved, but mentioned that there may be a shift towards holding online programs in the future.
Panelists also discussed their respective university networks' interest and potential for bilateral or multilateral collaboration in the future.
Overall, the webinar was a great success, providing the participating university associations with a platform to share experiences and an opportunity to connect with each other and a wider audience in Asia and beyond.
Top L-R: Dr. Christopher Tremewan, Secretary General of APRU; Dr. ZHANG Chuanjie, AUA Secretary
Bottom L-R: Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director of AUN; Prof. Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian, Director of the International Relations Office, UM
