15 December 2022

13th AUN Rectors' Meeting: ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management Drives Exceptional Study Programme and Mobility

By
AUN Writer Team

By Chanya Chinsukserm, AUN Programme Officer

The representative of the ASEAN University Network for Business and Economics (AUN-BE), Rocky Adiguna, SE., M.Sc., Ph.D., introduced the ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management, an innovative study programme and mobility, through the topic “Envisioning Future Leaders of ASEAN through MBA in Sustainability Management” at the 13th Rectors’ Meeting.

Rocky Adiguna, SE., M.Sc., Ph.D., the Programme Manager of the ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management and representative from ASEAN University Network for Business and Economics (AUN-BE), introduced this programme as the MBA with a concentration in sustainability management. The ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management is a well-designed master’s programme aiming to develop competent candidates for key positions in government and business who can lead economic development toward environmental sustainability. In particular, the future ASEAN leaders in this programme will be equipped with a sustainable mindset to guide through the transition of today's businesses and communities, as well as pressing environmental concerns, towards environmental sustainability.

The ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management is a pioneering programme initiated with generous funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conducted in collaboration under the shared leadership of the AUN-BE with the assistance of the University of Agder (UiA), Norway, and AUN. The programme offers interdisciplinary courses that seek to contribute to the complex problems of sustainability in Southeast Asia and the world. 

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ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management’s milestone during 2018-2022

Diversity is a key to create a rewarding learning environment. This unique dual-degree programme provides a full scholarship for candidates from across the ASEAN region. The programme has been successful in assembling and integrating all ASEAN participants from its ten member countries.

  • Batch 1 (2021 intake) accepted 23 students from 8 countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
  • Batch 2 (2023 intake) accepted 11 students from UiA and 18 ASEAN students from 8 countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.

The students participating in this unique programme are projected to be future leaders who work closely with sustainability issues. 

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ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management’s progress

The programme also emphasises extracurricular activities such as site visits and leadership camps. It brings in the Norwegian innovative perspective and gradually moves from online classes to face-to-face sessions. Among the programme's immense impacts are co-creating sustainability movements, fostering mobility and collaboration, and disseminating knowledge, particularly in the 7th Ethics Council and Advisory for the ASEAN Region (ECAAR) Dialogue (6 September 2022) where the two Master's students of this programme participated as the key speakers.

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ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management’s students

Dr. Rocky Adiguna also highlighted that the experiences gained and best practices developed from this programme can enhance the current network as well as establish a new one. The success of this programme has emerged from the focus on investing time and effort to build a strong programme design, along with the collaboration and supportive communication among the AUN-BE key partners.

For information about the ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management - https://www.asean-sustainability.mba/