Dear my fellow colleagues of AUAP,
With a deep awareness of the responsibility conferred by your trust,
I am extremely honored to be elected the new President of Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific.
It is hard to believe that it has been 11 years since I first came to this conference,
and Dr. Pama, who was the President of Angeles University Foundation at that time, encouraged me to join
as an AUAP member. Yes, I did and I think it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
The benefits that I have received by actively participating in the AUAP conference were numerous,
including establishment of partnerships and networks among member universities, promotion of faculty
and student exchange, and sharing professional experiences through conferences, forums, publications
in fields directly affecting internationalization,
Four years ago when I was elected the Second Vice President by the AUAP Board Members,
I was very pleased to work with Dr. Shawn Chen because I remember how serious and eager he was
to work for the better future of AUAP. During his presidency, he has made great accomplishments.
Out of many, he changed the existing organizational structure to be more effective by reorganizing
the board and establishing a new committee of country chapter chair; he formed alliances
with other international organizations such as IAUP and IAU to enhance collaborations among
the higher education leaders around the globe as well as recruit more members from
the different world higher education organizations; and he improved the AUAP membership
benefits by increasing our activities dedicated to international collaboration and to each member’s
students and faculties. As a gracious acknowledgement of his excellent leadership and service,
I'd like to extend a big round of applause to him.
Now the baton is given to me like in a relay race.
You know how pounding your heart it is once a baton is in your hand.
Based on the founding spirit in 1995 from Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand,
I will run constantly to implement the mission of AUAP, and pursue to be the main platform
for interaction and collaboration among members, to promote a culture of quality
and innovation in higher education, and to preserve and enhance the values
and cultural diversity of Asia and the Pacific towards better understanding.
In order to do that, coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress;
and working together is success. The focus of university in collaboration should not be location,
but relation. Therefore, I will work hard to strengthen our relationship and friendship through
more effective networking with our members. I also have a great desire to enhance and support
as well as conduct more activities especially such as student mobility and exchange, not only
in Asia but also in Europe. Danubius University from Romania in May 2017 will be a starting place
in Europe. Relating to our panel discussion topic tomorrow: University-industry relations:
Creating Mutually Beneficial Partnerships, I will dedicate myself to expanding our AUAP
brand name to industries and receiving funding from them to use for the benefits
of our member universities.
With all due respect, you know that I can't do the work mentioned alone,
or with board members only. I need all of your strong support and active participation
so that together we can continue in accomplishing what we have already started.
“None of us is as smart as all of us” – Ken Blanchard, American writer says.
Together, we will create, convey, and apply knowledge to expand personal growth
and opportunity, advance social and community development, foster economic
competitiveness, bridge most cultural gaps and differences, and improve the quality
of life in the world.
I look forward to meeting you every AUAP conference and sharing
about our views, suggestions and concerns.
Thank you.
Sung-hee Nam, Ph.D.
President of Daegu Health College, Korea
President of AUAP