Unpad and UEH Collaborative Meeting: Establishing Wider Cooperation for International Standard Education

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 26 February 2024 – Padjadjaran University (Unpad) together with the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) held a collaborative meeting on 25-26 February 2024 at the UEH campus, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This meeting is a strategic step in strengthening cooperative relations between universities that were previously initiated through the ASEAN Collaborative Group, as well as to follow up on plans to organize an International Joint Conference which will be held in August 2024.

This meeting began with a warm welcome from the President of UEH, Prof. Su Dinh Thanh, followed by an inspiring speech from the Chancellor of Unpad, Prof. Dr. Rina Indiastuti emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships between Unpad and UEH in advancing international standard education, research and community service at each university. Dr. Kurniawan Saefullah, Deputy Dean of FEB Unpad, gave a special highlight about the UEH and Unpad partnership that has been ongoing to date and has the potential to produce even more intensive collaboration in the future. The meeting agenda also includes sessions on sharing best practices in university management, including university rankings, international accreditation and quality assurance in higher education institutions.

This meeting was attended by several important figures from both institutions, including Dr. Dinh Cong Khai – UEH Vice President, Assoc.Prof. Bui Thanh Trang – COB Vice President, Dr. Dinh Thi Thu Hong – COB Vice President, Assoc.Prof. Pham Khanh Nam – President of CELG, Assoc.Prof. Trinh Thi Thuy Anh – CTD Vice President, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Phong Nguyen – Head of UEH Research Management and International Cooperation Department, Dr. Vo Duc Hoang Vu, Deputy Head of UEH’s Department of Management Research and International Cooperation, Assoc. Prof. Tran Tien Khai – Head of UEH Quality Assurance and Curriculum Development Department, Dr. Phan Thi Bao Quyen – Deputy Chair, Labor Union UEH, Dr. Phan Chung Thuy – Deputy Dean of UEH School of Banking, Rinka Hertika, M.AP – Manager of Resources, Planning and Information FEB UNPAD, and Meinanda Kurniawan, PhD – Head of Internationalization Unit FEB Unpad. Their presence enriches discussions and potential collaboration between institutions.

One of the main focuses of the meeting was a discussion about holding the Joint Conference ACBES, GARCOMBS, and ICONICS 2024, which is an integration of three international events which were previously managed separately by UEH, Unpad and Udayana University (Unud). This discussion includes the division of roles, budget and financing of the joint conference. Prof. Yudi Azis, Head of the Management Science Doctoral Study Program, FEB Unpad, and Prof. Nguyen Trong Hoai, Editor-in-Chief of JABES UEH, together with Dr. Agoes Ganesha Rahyuda, Dean of the Faculty of Economics & Business, Udayana University, who was also present online, made an important contribution to this discussion, emphasizing the importance of cooperation and commitment in allocating the resources needed to organize this International Joint Conference.

On the second day, the meeting focused on expanding cooperation between Unpad and UEH, with the addition of a new Tri Dharma collaboration program between the Unpad Postgraduate School and the UEH School of Tourism. Apart from being attended by Dr. Nguyen Duc Tri – Dean of School of Tourism (SOT) UEH, Mr. Doan Duc Minh, Deputy Dean of SOT UEH, this meeting was also attended by representatives of FEB Unpad and representatives from various schools at UEH, including the School of Banking (SOB), School of Accounting (SOA), and School of Economics (SOE), and also followed online by the Unpad Postgraduate School.