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PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program implemented the U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI). The UCI brought together leaders from colleges and universities in the United States and ASEAN for a series of virtual and in-person trainings, in partnership with the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). Spanning the 2022-2023 academic year, these professional development and networking opportunities were designed to foster sustainable international academic partnerships and the two-way exchange of students, scholars, and researchers between U.S. and ASEAN higher education institutions.
Key program activities included:
- Virtual Training Series: three virtual trainings designed by AIEA took place in late 2022/early 2023. Each webinar was tailored to either an American or ASEAN audience, but all webinars were free and open to the public. Webinar descriptions, recordings, transcripts, and slides are available below.
- Introduction to U.S. Higher Education: This is the first in a series of three webinars hosted by the U.S.–ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI). This webinar features an introduction to U.S. higher education, intended for those looking to build partnerships with U.S.-based institutions. While this event is designed for an ASEAN audience, all higher education attendees may benefit from the information shared, regardless of their country of residence.
- Exploring University Partnership Models with ASEAN Institutions: Join in this webinar to gain key insights from U.S. and Southeast Asian practitioners about developing different university partnership models between institutions in the U.S. and ASEAN countries. The webinar will include a brief overview of higher education systems and trends in the ASEAN region.
- International Strategic Partnerships: What Leaders Should Know: Creating sustainable and quality international partnerships between higher education institutions involves understanding the goals of institutions from different regions. Join in this webinar to learn more about different university partnership models with diverse higher education institutions and discover key insights into developing partnerships that are mutually beneficial for partners, including virtual exchange. While applicable to partnerships globally, the emphasis will be on U.S.- and ASEAN-based institutions.
- In-Person Professional Networking: The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the IDEAS Program, and UCI Fellows met at the Annual AIEA Conference, February 19-23, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
- Higher Education Partnerships Toolkit, developed by AIEA and the IDEAS Program, to promote the development of research/curricular collaborations, dual/joint degrees, and the two-way exchange of students, faculty, and/or researchers in a variety of fields between the United States and ASEAN – and beyond! Download the PDF of the toolkit here. Also see the recording and slides from the International Higher Education Partnerships 101 webinar launching the toolkit on March 25, 2024.
- Microgrants: IDEAS grantee UCI Fellows were given the opportunity to apply for five microgrants, implementing projects that multiply program benefits through extending activities and/or disseminating learning outcomes from the U.S.-ASEAN UCI program. The selected project descriptions are below.
College of Staten Island
Location: Staten Island, NY
Destination(s): Philippines, Vietnam
Through its U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI) microgrant, the Executive Director of the Center for Global Engagement at College of Staten Island (CSI) conducted a site visit to the Philippines and Vietnam to pursue cooperative agreements with higher education institutions and organizations based on connections made during the in-person portion of the program. CSI has established or is in the process of developing cooperative agreements with six higher education institutions across both countries and service relationships with three other organizations. These institutions include Foreign Trade University – Hanoi, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and Vinh University in Vietnam and De LaSalle University in Manila, Ateneo University and University of the Philippines – Diliman in the Philippines. The planned activities vary between institutions and include short-term on-site courses, certificate programs, 2+2 degree programs, faculty exchanges, virtual exchange courses, student exchanges, joint research programs, and faculty and staff training.
Montana State University Billings
Location: Billings, MT
Destination(s): Indonesia
Through its U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI) microgrant, Montana State University Billings (MSUB) conducted a faculty site visit to Indonesia to formalize a partnership with Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH). This trip also allowed an MSUB faculty member to begin planning a faculty-led study abroad program for business and entrepreneurship students. This program will be a new in-person component of an already-established three-way Collaborative Online International Learning course developed through the 2023 ASEAN UCI between MSUB, Green River College, and UPH in Indonesia. MSUB and UPH also discussed future establishment of a memorandum of understanding to facilitate research publications and a potential long-term study abroad program between the two institutions.
University of Minnesota
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Destination(s): Lao PDR, Vietnam
Through its U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI) microgrant, University of Minnesota funded a faculty site visit to Vietnam and Lao PDR. Marina Aleixo, Director of International Initiatives at the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), conducted the exploratory visit in October 2024 to Vietnam National University (VNU) and National Laos University after connecting with U.S.-ASEAN UCI fellows Dr. Nguyen Viet Khoi and Anita Vannasouk in Washington, DC. This visit built the foundation for a faculty residency program at VNU and a six-week graduate student internship experience with a local community school in Laos. One CEHD faculty member will be the first to participate in the residency program at VNU in June 2025, where they will collaborate on research, teaching strategies, and academic service. By initiating the faculty residency program, CEHD hopes to successfully gain faculty buy-in for international engagement to support future student mobility programs. CEHD successfully secured additional funding to support both the faculty residency program and the graduate student internships. The development of a study abroad program for U.S. students in Vietnam, along with semester exchange opportunities for Vietnamese students at the University of Minnesota, is now a strategic priority for the institution as the next phase of this project.
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Location: Menomonie, WI
Destination(s): Malaysia
Through its U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative microgrant, the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) conducted a site visit to the Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in Malaysia to strengthen partnerships between the two institutions. The site visit supported the further development of a Collaborative Online International Learning program established during the 2023 ASEAN UCI focused on computer networking, infrastructure engineering, and cybersecurity. The faculty who participated in the site visit also implemented a cybersecurity competition, involving 97 students from the UniKL and UW-Stout. This grant resulted in substantive advancement of the technology and innovation foreign policy goal as the collaboration between UW-Stout and UniKL’s partnership emphasizes collaboration on network security and cybersecurity, issues of critical importance to the national security of both the United States and Malaysia. The two institutions will continue to collaborate in the future to establish a dual-degree articulation for their students.
University of Wyoming
Location: Laramie, WY
Destination(s): Malaysia
Through its U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative microgrant, the University of Wyoming’s Chinese Program Director Yan Zhang conducted a faculty site visit to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Malaysia. The site visit, which took place in March 2024, provided the foundation for a faculty-led, in-person summer program to Malaysia, focusing on academic activities, community service projects, and joint research initiatives. The three-week program took place in May-June 2024 with 18 students traveling to Malaysia and Singapore. Staff developed a student handbook, orientation manual, and resource portal for the program. Students delved into the region’s history, conducted research, and engaged in various activities at UTAR, significantly enhancing students’ intercultural communication, leadership, and management skills. A proposal for a 2025 summer program in Malaysia has already been submitted and approved, and Professor Zhang is currently working with UTAR on activities for the upcoming year’s program.
Contact: [email protected]
The IDEAS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning.