AUN News

Prof. Lily Kong, President of Singapore Management University (SMU) delivered her meaningful speech delving into the second agenda “Interdisciplinarity and the Future of ASEAN Higher Education” and explained the SMU’s approaches towards interdisciplinary education and research which deliberately pave the ways for young people to make significant impacts and stipulate the work of universities to improve the lives and livelihoods of local and global communities.

In the long-standing series of articles from the 13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting, begins the second agenda, “Interdisciplinary and the Future of ASEAN Higher Education”, looking at how interdisciplinarity and data strategies could play the key roles in driving forward the achievements of high impact university mission and creating a better future of higher education in ASEAN. Three professors from some of the most prestigious ASEAN universities came to share their experiences and practices from their own institutions.

Hideki Shimazu, Project Coordinator of AUN/SEED-Net, presented highlights and achievements of AUN/SEED-Net at the 13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting in September 2022. In relation to the sub-agenda, “Driving World-Class Study Programme and Student Mobility”, he explained the features and practices from the Collaborative Education Program to show how it enhanced the engineering field within Japan and ASEAN countries.

Dr. Rocky Adiguna introduced an innovative study program and mobility that envisions ASEAN's future leaders through an MBA in sustainability management: the ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management. It is a well-designed master’s programme, established through the collaboration and shared leadership of AUN-BE and the University of Agder (UiA), Norway, aiming to develop competent candidates for key positions in government and business who can lead economic development toward environmental sustainability.

At the 13th Rectors’ Meeting, Prof. Dr. Chartchalerm Isarankura-Na-Ayudhya presented the Healthy University Rating System (HURS), an instrument of the ASEAN University Network-Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN). HURS is an assessment and monitoring tool used to track the progress and success of universities’ healthy status, as well as assist them in creating and implementing a "whole university" approach to a health promoting university.

Dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D. presented the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a system where Universities are ranked based on how well they promote healthiness, as well as how “green” or sustainable the entire institution is. Such a ranking system drives competition within universities and gives motivation to keep improving infrastructure quality. It also leads to cooperation because at the heart of it all, competition or not, universities are working together to see the quality of living improve for all people around the world. The best of the best Universities do not rest at only providing education to the people. They strive to provide more benefits to society beyond just teaching.