View our NEW Higher Education Partnerships Toolkit
published March 25, 2024!

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program is honored to implement the U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative (UCI), a White House initiative announced during the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in May 2022. The UCI brought together leaders from diverse 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.
    • Recording, Transcript
    • Slides
  • 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.
    • Recording, Transcript
    • Slides
  • 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.
    • Recording, Transcript
    • Slides

• 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 here.

• 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.

Contact: [email protected]