From October 26-30, The Asia Institute hosted its first annual Virtual Familiarization Week, which consisted of four presentations covering themes relevant to the future of global education abroad in Asia. These programs, attended by international higher education leaders, included dialogue from subject matter experts on topics including Women’s Leadership in Asia, Comparative Impacts of Covid-19, and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The recordings of each session are now available and can be streamed below. If you are interested in learning more about The Asia Institute’s approach to virtual learning, please visit our webpage on virtual learning.
Women in Leadership: Gender and Identity in Asia (October 26)
Virtual Familiarization week kicked off on October 26th with an analysis of gender issues in Asia along four key dimensions: economic participation, educational attainment, health and wellness, and empowerment. The panel also included a discussion of the challenges and opportunities for women leaders in Asia.
The discussion was facilitated by Theresa Hudzinski, Head of Workforce Management, Shanghai Disney Resort and included perspectives from Robe Ann Paccial, Head of Recruiting, Training and Development, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, Noga Feige, Founder & CEO, TravelChina and Christine Wang, China Board Chair, The Library Project.
Achieving UN Sustainability Goals in Asia (October 28)
On October 28th, The Asia Institute invited local experts to discuss how their organizations engage with communities, students, and disadvantaged groups in Asia. During the session, panelists shared they are working to build a more sustainable future by fostering connections among broad base of stakeholders.
Facilitated by Dr. Lois A. Bosch, Retired Professor, Department of Social Work, Augsburg University, this session included panelists Kyaw Kyaw Min Htut, Director, BEAM Education Foundation, Shweta Chari, Co-Founder & CEO, ToyBank India and Krishna M. Gautam, Founder & Chairperson, Ageing Population.
Tour Asia: The Intersect of History and Modern Life (October 28)
This special tour and cultural exploration of East and Southeast Asia featured pre-recorded videos and a question/answer session with expert tour guides. During the session, attendees explored various cultures through food, clothing, and UNESCO world heritage sites.
Moderated by Fred Young, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Economics, Villanova University, he was joined in discussion by Sachin Rawat, Deputy General Manager at FCM Travel Solutions India, Eddie Tao, Cultural Expert, CYTS China Tours and Robert Koh, Founder and Executive Director, Korean Tour Guide & Co. (KTG & Co).
COVID-19 Responses and Approach (October 30)
This session included an in-depth discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various industry sectors from culture and business, to education abroad. Moderated by Bradley A. Feuling, Chairman/CEO, The Asia Institute, the panel includeded perspectives from Narut Charoensri, Lecturer, School of International Affairs at Chiang Mai University, Hung Nguyen, Vice President at Footstep Travel Vietnam and Paul Lin, Chief Strategy Officer at POSSIBLE China.
