asean integration.docx

I. Introduction: The Association of the Southeast Asian Nations

A. The ASEAN Community 2015: “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on August 8,

1967 in Bangkok by the five original member countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia,

Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on January 8, 1984, Vietnam

on July 28, 1995, Laos and Myanmar on July 23, 1997, and Cambodia on April 30, 1999,

resulting in a ten-nation cooperation framework.

During the 9th ASEAN Summit in 2003, leaders of member countries resolved to

establish the ASEAN Community. It aims to develop a place where all the ten countries

come together to build a better place to live for everyone. In 2007, at the 12th ASEAN

Summit, the Heads of States affirmed their strong commitment to establish the ASEAN

Community by 2015.

It has three pillars forming the roadmap or ASEAN Community 2015:

ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC). Deals with the building of a

peaceful, democratic and harmonious ASEAN community

ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Refers to the free movement of goods,

services, investment, skilled labor, freer flow of capital.

Asean Integration 2015 Page 1

The Community 2015

ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). It aims at yielding of people-oriented

and socially responsible ASEAN.

B. Challenges for ASEAN Community 2015

ASEAN countries are rich in culture, diverse in language and religion but have one

common goal, to be united as one. Mostly, the language barrier has always been a constant

problem among the people of the member countries. This is a great challenge to the ASEAN

Community to further create programs on how to address this issue. The increase of usage of

English language is one of the focal areas to be considered.

Regardless all those differences, these ten countries share a similar emphasis on

human resource development as a key in developing the whole nation to enter the

knowledge-based economy and global environment. It is realized that we are moving fast

forward the situation in which all nations operate in a global market environment.

No country can grow in isolation. We are facing unprecedented challenges, brought

by the convergent impacts of globalization, the increasing importance of knowledge as a

principal driver of growth and the ICT revolution. Education, as a fundamental human right,

is considered very important and strategic for developing their human resources. The right to

education imposes an obligation upon countries to ensure that all children and citizens have

opportunities to meet their basic learning needs. Promoting Quality and Equity in Education

is a common policy for countries in Southeast Asia region regardless of their different levels

of development.

II. Challenges in Education for ASEAN Community 2015

In terms of Higher Education, a broader strategic objective of ensuring the integration

of education priorities into ASEAN’s development, the Education Objectives aim to advance

and prioritize education and focus on:

creating a knowledge-based society achieving universal access to primary education promoting early child care and development and enhancing awareness of ASEAN to youths through education activities to build an ASEAN identity based on friendship and cooperation


The status of integration of education in ASEAN are being studied and promoted by

SEAMEO RIHED and the ASEAN Universities Network (AUN). The aim is to promote

education networking in various levels of educational institutions and

continue university networking and enhance and support student and staff exchanges and

professional interactions including creating research clusters among

ASEAN institutions of higher learning. Further actions are envisaged to strengthen

collaboration with other regional and international educational organizations to

enhance the quality of education in the region.

Education is viewed as a major engine of economic development; however,

governments can no longer keep up with demand, and provide free education.

Increasingly students are being asked to seek study loans to contribute in furthering

their studies.

Other common higher education challenges in Southeast Asia are: Lack of qualified faculty staff, declining academic community limited experience of quality assurance processes lack of equitable access for all students lack of infrastructures geographic spread and diversity of universities facility of the usage of English limited research expertise.

III. Emerging Trends and State of Higher Education (HE) in ASEAN Countries (SEAMEO RIHED) and OECD Indicators

ASEAN Countries

Description Innovations

Philippines The government put primacy on the efficient use of resources through the collaboration of stakeholders. This is to attain productivity, focused national direction, alignment of objectives, harmonization of procedures, approaches and a coherent financing arrangement for higher education sector. The Commission on Higher

Embarking on rationalizingthe country’s existing quality

assurance processes and procedures for higher

education sector both program and institution-based

Increasing access to quality higher education, improvement and expansion of government


Education, Philippines commits its support in facilitating and in taking its role, responsibilities and duties in facilitating the requirements and necessary steps in improving the country’s higher education sector, specifically, implementation of

reforms that enable acquisition of knowledge, development of skills, values and attitudes, which will enhance productivity, globalization and competitiveness of

graduates.

assistance tostudents and teachers in

private education Alternative Learning

System (ALS) Expanded Tertiary

Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP)

Ladderized Education Program (LEP).

Brunei Darussalam

3 Higher Education Institutions (HEI) offering certificate, diploma and degrees To develop students personally, academically and professionally, one of the innovations in HE is the introduction of “Discovery Year” wherein students move

out of the classroom for a semester or an academic year to gain community –based or international experience It also aims to realize its Vision 2035: “To build a first class education system that provides opportunities for every citizen and residence” Aims 40% participation rate in higher education.

Cambodia There are different types and titles of degrees and diplomas delivered by institutions of Higher Education in Cambodia which include Master’s degrees, Bachelor’s degrees, professional diplomas, postgraduate diplomas


and diplomas The HE and TVET HEIs are supervised by 12 different ministries/government institutions Cambodia would like to be at par with international standards and this is an essential effort of the Higher Education Reform.

Indonesia There are four different kinds of Higher Education Institutions in Indonesia and are as follows - Academy, Polytechnics, School of Higher Learning (Sekolah Tinggi),Institute and University. One of the key challenges in Indonesian HEIs is that they are not capable to support the number of students due to the small size of the institutions.

The existence of an information system/database.

Data from this system will be used not only for operational permit extension but also as a basic requirement for any program/institution to apply for competitive funding and other incentives from the Department of Higher Education

Laos Due to the government’s policy for expanding education at all levels, there are many post-secondary education institutions that can award Bachelor’s Degrees under the control of the Ministry of Education Currently, higher educationalinstitutions in Laos are described as to have a lack of clear vision, appropriate policy

and strategy, and master plan used for higher education development

Malaysia There are seven strategic thrusts to focus on improving and

empowerment of HE which are:

An agenda for HE in Malaysia is the repositioning of education


widening of access and increasing equity improving the quality of teaching and learning enhancing research and innovation strengthening of higher education institutions intensifying internationalization enculturation of lifelong learning reinforcing delivery systems of the Ministry.

for democratization of education for the masses and simultaneously achieving excellence through internationalization policies.

Malaysia is proposing to use the ‘leveling-up’ approach to accomplish the goals of benefiting the socio-economically disadvantaged group while at the same time achieving excellence in human capital development.

Myanmar The mission in HE in Myanmar is “to create an education system that can generate a learning society capable of facing the challenges of the knowledge age”. One of the key challenges in HE is to create a university environment with strong research activities by expanding activities of research centers extending to international collaborations.

A highlight in HE is the introduction of new assessment techniques to test the depth and breadth of knowledge, creativity, and analytical thinking of students.

Singapore Singapore has an ability-driven education system that provides multiple pathways for students to develop their fullest potential. For Higher Education landscape, public and private Higher Education Institutions in Singapore offer degree programmes, diploma courses, certificate courses, and other postsecondary qualifications across a wide range of disciplines.

Some of the innovations in HEI in Singapore are as follows:

Increasing Cohortparticipation Rates through

increased spending Enhancing Continuing

Education and Training Landscape

Maintaining Affordability of Higher Education, Cross- Border Higher Education


ASEAN Credit Transfer System Student Exchanges

Building up SEAMEO Research Clusters in the areas of Urban, Environment and

Sustainability Issues, Health and Medical Issues, and Social Sciences.

Thailand The key trends in HE in the Kingdom of Thailand include high competencies workforce which provide venues for students to ensure that they will stay competitive in the international market place.

Vietnam Vietnam underwent structure adjustments in the universities to improve the quality of higher education.

Some of these adjustments include: Improvement of higher education programs and teaching and learning methods Development of lecturing Staff and higher education managers increase in research and implementation Reforms in financial mechanism in order to diversify resources and improve investment efficiency improvement of higher Education management to increase autonomy.

Regional Hub in Higher Education Provision is the latest development in Thai higher education which is currently undergoing the second decade of the national education reform with the goal to aspire toward good education quality.

Strength of ICT infrastructure for improving quality of higher education is also a priority including the use of the Inter-University Network, Thailand Cyber University, the e-library ThaiLIS and the National Education Network (Ned-Net).

*HE- Higher Education*HEI- Higher Education Institution*SEAMEO- Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization*RIHED- Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development


IV. Education Initiatives towards ASEAN Community 2015

The following actions are deemed necessary in achieving the desired goal in higher education among

ASEAN community:

1. Regional Accreditation (APACC)

Accreditation is very important in higher education

It is viewed as both a process and a result

One accrediting mechanism that harmonizes education and training systems in the

region is the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC). It

aims to accredit and certify TVET institutions through a common quality framework

that would facilitate the mobility of workforce across national borders in the region.

2. Unified Education Framework

Intergovernmental Organizations establish ASEAN standards for HEI’s including

curriculum.

A unified curriculum in the ASEAN region is highly recommended to achieve the

desired goal of one community.

The focus should be on learning outcomes.

3. Improve Quality of Education

"The shortage of skilled workforce in the Asia-Pacific Region, male and even

more so female, has been a major bottleneck in economic and social

development

4. Scholarship for students/Faculty Exchange

More programs on scholarships grant on students from all the regions are now

being practiced in most ASEAN countries.

Another medium of attaining the quality of education is by educating the

teachers, school principals and other educational personnel and upgrade their

professional competency.


5. Regional Skills Competition

Encourage the participation of higher education institutions and TVET

institutions in skills competitions such as the ASEAN Skills Competition to

support workforce development and to achieve regional standards

competency.

It will contribute towards the advancement of quality and skills of workers in

all ASEAN Member Countries.

6. Increase Usage of English Language

Language is a key towards the development of ASEAN community.

7. E-learning/Online learning/Distance Learning/Open Learning

Increasing the number of open universities

8. Universal Education ( access, equity and quality )

provide free education

V. ASEAN Integration 2015 in Philippine Education

A. Educational Landscape


The shift in the K-12 curriculum means additional 2 years in the Elementary Education and 2 years in the Secondary Education (From Grade 1-10 to Junior and Senior High school.)

In the ASEAN Integration 2015, there will also be a shift in Academic Calendar from June as the start of classes; it will be on the month of August (University of the Philippines is one who has adopted this Academic Calendar).

B. Convergence in Work Systems, ASEAN Integration and Implications to Professional

Practice

The convergence hypothesis highlights the arguments that human resource

management (HRM) within organizations would become increasingly similar due to a firm

having a structure free from cultural influences with globalization. Multinational enterprises

shall be free from the influence of national institutions making these global transmission

belts of capital the main force for convergence. On the other hand, scholars supporting the

divergence hypothesis argue that organizational structures are not set and that management

practices would reflect national differences in regulations, government policies, culture and

beliefs as well as national educational systems .

Within the ASEAN, it is important to track and examine the convergence towards

improvements in the following:

1. Enterprise development and job creation by domestic and foreign investment;

2. Patterns of management control brought about by the diversity in capital equity;

3. Management philosophy, structure and tools;

4. Organizational culture and interventions: orientation seminars, training, etc.;

5. Organizational effectiveness and tools: organizational development (OD), HRM,

organizational behavior (OB)tools.

Opening up the Philippine professions to foreigners The test of convergence is highlighted in the current efforts to promote the opening

up of the practice of Philippine professions to foreigners, in the context of the Constitution

and related laws, and its strategic interface with the labor market.

Article XII, Section 12 of the Philippine Constitution of 1987 provides as follows:

“… xxx…The practice of all professions in the Philippines shall be limited to Filipino

citizens, save in cases prescribed by law.” Other provisions of the Philippine Constitution

provide for “…the sustained development of a reservoir of national talents consisting of

Filipino scientists, entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, high level technical manpower,

and skilled workers…” (Article XII, Section 1)


In the spirit of the provisions of the Constitution, Articles 40, 41 & 42 of the

Philippine Labor Code (PLC) requiring employment permits for non-resident aliens remain

in place. While the practice of professions is primarily reserved for Filipino citizens,

exceptions are recognized, based on existing laws mandating the professional regulatory

boards, which provide for both individual and corporate business practice of professions.

There are existing laws, rules and regulations on the registration of foreign

professionals to enable them to practice in the Philippines. Many of the professional

regulatory laws also provide for reciprocity. Foreign professionals are allowed limited

practice by virtue of Special Temporary Permits (STPs), which fall within these exceptions.

The Philippines has entered into commitments through the General Agreement on

Trade in Services (GATS) and the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS),

among others. The Philippines also has Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) with other

ASEAN countries which include the health professions (nursing, dentistry, etc.);

accountancy; engineering; and architectural services. These are existing arrangements which

affirm and bolster the country’s direction towards liberalizing the professional services.

The interdependence of social and economic systems, and mediated by new

technology influence the institutions, processes and outcomes of such integration, are

becoming more evident as forces of convergence in work systems, including the ASEAN.

International and transnational linkages will continue to grow but even more

important, even as national and purely domestic policies and practices will need to adjust to

the growing size and scope of an integrating global economy. In Asia, especially among the

“emerging economies,” the shift in framework and processes at the workplace may indicate a

much more significant, and dynamic field.

With increasing regional economic integration especially in ASEAN, there is a

demand for best practices in the priority areas of trade, business, including labor and

employment relations. People to people cooperation and social dialogue with producers and


consumers, as well as business, workers, employers and government are keys to eliminating

the social tensions from the inequalities from regional integration.

VI. Philippines and the Higher Education and ASEAN Mobility

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER (CMO)NO. 11

SERIES OF 2014

SUBJECT : GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION OF SELECTED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEIs) IN THE ASEAN INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY FOR STUDENTS (AIMS) PROGRAM

Republic Act No. 7722 - HIGHER EDUCATION OF 1994 Republic Act No. 8292 – HIGHER EDUCATION MODERNIZATION ACT OF

1997

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Responsible for formulating and implementing plans, policies and programs for

the development and improvement of the Philippine higher education system. It is within the mandate of the Commission to oversee and guide Higher

Education Institutions (HEIs) in participating in the internationalization process

ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Promotes regional integration through student mobility

Student Mobility Recognized as an essential element in fostering academic cooperation in which

shall lead to the development of a viable Southeast Asia regional higher education area.

Article IIIGENERAL OBJECTIVES

1. Define, describe, and identify elements and stakeholders of the AIMS Program and related

mechanisms;

2. Provide policies and guidelines for the participation of HEIs and students in the program to

accordingly improve their quality of education and expand academic cooperation among

AIMS member states;


3. Present and outline the requirements to be complied with by the stakeholders, as well as

detail protocol and procedures to be followed by these stakeholders;

4. Encourage adherence to quality assurance, credit transfer, monitoring, and assessment

processes as well as other pertinent rules and regulations to ensure efficient management of

the Program; and

5. Promote a policy environment suitable to the facilitation of the Program as a s.tudent

mobility scheme

VII. How UP Carries out the ASEAN Integration Goals.

As the 21st century education spreads worldwide, the UP prepares for, and cushions

the impact of the K-12 and the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community. It has unrolled a

roadmap in response to its role as the Philippines’ only national university – a leader and

model in instruction, research and extension work.

The ASEAN Economic Cooperation 2015 (AEC), as an initial step in the integration

process, aims to develop the 10-member countries of ASEAN into a single market and

production base for the free flow of goods, services investment, capital and skilled labor.

While the goals are economic in nature, human resource and capacity as well as their

movements within the region will be inevitably implicated. The Philippines being a

signatory to and a member of the ASEAN, endeavors to achieve the goals of the ASEAN.

Having 2015 as the target date for the ASEAN Economic Community, the following

results are expected from the education sector:

1) greater student and staff mobility

2) greater demand for quality programs

3) more collaborative research and curricular activities

4) competition for jobs and employment

5) higher employer standards, and

6) race for university ranking.

The education reform that resulted in the K-12 basic education curriculum stems

from the need to address the onslaught of globalization and regional cooperation for the


graduates of HEIs to be globally competitive. This requires internal changes to include a shift

from 10 to 12 years of basic education. The reform is stirred by the sore state of high school

education in the country, which has deteriorated in the quality and competencies of its

graduates and has poorly prepared HS graduates for college and for the labor market.

The fact remains that the Philippines is the only country in ASEAN and one of the

three remaining countries in the world with 10 years basic education (the other two are

Djibouti and Angola). By shifting to 12 years of basic education, the Philippines will now be

at par with the rest of the world. This reform that will result in a more solid basic foundation

of HEI graduates, will provide a bigger chance of becoming regionally and globally

competitive.

The K-12 Program hopes to: 1) decongest the basic education curricula;

2) prepare the students for higher education and for the labor market, and

3) be globally competitive/ benchmark with global standards.

To affirm UP’s leadership role in education, it will embark on a major change in its

teaching pedagogy, quality assurance assessments, and curricular programs, including the

review of its GE program. Given that UP’s student enrollment will be adversely affected in

2016 and beyond, a ripple effect will be expected in its faculty’s academic load,

administrative staff functions, fiscal positions, support services and admission processes.

What has the UP System Done So Far?

A UP K-12 Roadmap has been drawn. The Roadmap has set the following short-term (ST)

and medium-term (MT) goals:

1. Increase the awareness of the impact of K-12 and ASEAN Economic Community 2015

to programs in the UP academic community (ST);

2. Review the GE program (ST);

3. Review and streamline CU offerings (ST);

4. Realignment of the academic calendar to synchronize with international calendar (ST);

5. Quality assurance (QA) assessment of curricular programs (ST/MT);


6. Revision of individual curricular programs by unit (ST/MT);

7. Address Faculty and Staff workload (MT), and

8. Review UP admission system (MT).

Simultaneous with the implementation of the K-12 Program in all elementary and

high schools in the country in 2012, UP through its OVPAA,

1) had its first salvo of a series of consultations with the officials of DepEd, CHED

and members of the technical working group;

2) conducted roundtable discussions with the Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs,

Vice Chancellors for Research, and the GE Council members of the various CUs and the

autonomous College to clarify the impact of the K-12 Program and 2015 AEC as well as

brainstorm on future actions of Colleges and Universities;

3) at the start of 2013, the OVPAA conducted the consultative workshops among the

concerned officials of the CUs; the workshops will be completed in August; those that have

completed the consultative workshops are now reviewing their curricular programs with the

expected revisions completed by 2015;

4) the GE program is being reviewed and results of the review and revisions will be

presented to the various CUs for comments and suggestions, culminating in a system-wide

workshop before the end of the year, 2013.

UP still has until the end of 2015 to implement its K-12 Roadmap and the 2015 AEC. The Constituent Units, their Colleges and other concerned sectors are enjoined to actively participate in the process of implementing the K-12 Roadmap and AEC Plans.

VII. Conclusion: Towards a new social contract

International and transnational linkages will continue to grow but even more

important, even as national and purely domestic policies and practices will need to adjust to

the growing size and scope of an integrating global economy. In Asia, especially among the

“emerging economies,” the shift in framework and processes at the workplace may indicate a

much more significant, and dynamic field.


At the same time, the ASEAN community, through their people’s organizations, need

to be fully provided with the fundamental awareness for them to directly benefit from the

regional integration, with guarantees for the exercise of rights to freedom of association and

collective bargaining, to improve wages, health and safety, job security and other working

conditions. Labor and employment relations need to be continuously improved, through

harmonized labor laws, equal opportunities for employment, skills development, fair

procedures for the settlement of labor disputes, and compensation.

The demand for greater people-to-people solidarity comes along with the “mixed

noodles” of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements between Asian countries (Japan,

China, and Korea; ASEAN), with India, Europe, the United States, Australia, and other

emerging economies. Some of the FTAs had provisions on labor exchange, referred to as

“the movement of natural persons,” including skilled people.

A new social contract is built on the rational expectation that ASEAN peoples

through their community and people organizations are able to build strong and sustainable

economies together, to guarantee the elimination of social and income inequalities, green-

friendly competitive opportunities for entrepreneurship, mutually beneficial and progressive

trade and business investments to create decent and rewarding jobs.

With people-to-people cooperation, a strong and prosperous ASEAN of diverse

cultures and communities would be a reality through shared values and expectations of the

people who are producers and consumers in the real economy, including workers, employers,

and economic and business leaders who with their hard work are rewarded with better jobs,

higher incomes, social protection and improved lives with sustainable, green economies.

With the commitment and hard work of the diverse peoples and cultures of ASEAN, this

vision should be a reality soon.


---Excerpts from the Experts---

University of the Philippines

Funding Science and Technology in an Internationalized World

By Dr. Teofilo A. Abrajano in ASEAN Integration, UP Forum

I will specifically address is the strategy for funding science and technology in

educational institutions, a subject that I have a fair bit of experience on as a former senior

executive at the US National Science Foundation and now the Director of the Office of

Competitive Research Funds at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

(KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.

In the former capacity, I helped draft the latest NSF Strategic Plan, which charted the

US approach to transforming the frontiers of science, stimulating innovation and addressing

societal needs through science and technology. In my present capacity at KAUST, I oversee

the design and implementation of the University’s strategy for achieving its ambitious goals

of becoming a global leader in research and innovation and catalyzing and diversifying the

Saudi economy.

I recognize that the Philippines and other ASEAN countries are quite unlike the US

and Saudi Arabia, but let me point out elements of the research and education funding

strategy that should be relevant in every country context, including ASEAN countries:

(1) the essential role of basic research,

(2) the urgency of community- and country-wide integration and

(3) the need for international partnerships.

The goals of funding science are to transform knowledge and to bring about a

positive impact on people’s lives through discovery and innovation. Some mistakenly

assume, however, that these two objectives are separately achievable—the former by

supporting basic research, and the latter by supporting applied or targeted research.


Although never articulated as such, some national science funding strategies, based

on where the money is allocated or spent, clearly consider basic research as a luxury they can

ill afford. Such a premise for developing a national strategy for science investment is patently

short-sighted and one dimensional, and this is a serious detriment for sustaining a nation’s

knowledge ecosystem and global competitiveness.

The assumption that knowledge application can be divorced from knowledge creation

is false. This is precisely the reason why we have come to describe research environments as

knowledge/innovation ecosystems; opting to forego basic research is akin to suggesting that

we can do without the ecosystem life-support. There is no choice to be made between

keeping the soil or the plant, or sacrificing the root for the sake of the rest of the tree.

Knowledge creation and utilization is a continuum in multiple dimensions and a

weak basic research posture necessarily harms our ability to compete in identifying the next

big leap in technological innovation. Basic research is to application as sin is to confession.

The dilemma of limited resources matched against a great demand for innovative

solutions to urgent problems faced by many ASEAN countries is solved not by severing the

roots from the tree, but by building substantive and sustainable partnerships. This approach

to enriching, diversifying and linking strengths and expertise serves to lead to ecosystem

productivity and stability. The call for ASEAN integration in education and research is one

such example of a path to enable nations and universities to cross-utilize talent and resources

—indeed by treating the knowledge and innovation enterprise as an ecosystem.

These partnerships must exist at all scales of the system, beginning with strategic

collaborations at the country level—from integration of education and research strategy of

the university with the local community and the private sector to the sort of structured

national framework that is a prerequisite for compliance with the ASEAN regional

framework. I must warn, however, that these partnerships work best when they are

organically developed by the principal investigators and educators, not when they are

bureaucratically imposed from above. Those charged with formulating these frameworks

must focus on “enabling strategies,” including maximizing stakeholder input and locating


adequate resources. Imposing extraneous requirements is most certain to discourage buy in

and impede participation and collaboration.

In his recent Nature article entitled “The Fourth Age of Research,” J. Adams exalted

the essentiality of global collaborative partnerships. An earlier Royal Society report likewise

concluded that international research collaboration is crucial to all countries and educational

institutions. The Philippines must pay cognizance to these truths in its science funding

strategy beyond laissez-faire, and ASEAN integration is the first step towards a win-win

solution to the resource requirements of today’s global innovation competition.

Participating in these partnerships, however, requires that we do not surrender our

ability to create knowledge through basic research. Excellence will always seek excellence

and our attractiveness as serious partners in these collaborations requires that we are active

creators of knowledge. Not only does global partnership require it, basic research is essential

for the training of our future innovators.

http://www.up.edu.ph/funding-science-and-technology-in-an-internationalized-world/

Sharing Lessons Learned in Internationalization

by LuísMaría R. Calingo in ASEAN Integration, UP Forum

Comprehensive internationalization is a commitment, confirmed through action, to

infuse international and comparative perspectives throughout the teaching, research, and

service missions of higher education. It shapes institutional ethos and values and touches the

entire higher education enterprise. It is essential that it be embraced by institutional

leadership, governance, faculty, students, and all academic service and support units. It is an

institutional imperative, not just a desirable possibility. (NAFSA, 2011)

My initial forays into international education started in 1986 when I was a young

recently tenured professor and academic senator. At that time, Fresno State was the

agricultural campus of the California State University system. As “the only game in town,”



we had no difficulty recruiting students and attracting donors. We did not even have to

recruit international or out-of-state students—the perfect condition for incubating

institutional inertia.

Since strategic planning was my doctoral specialization, my dean asked me to

coordinate my department’s and our school’s strategic planning processes. As we were

conducting strategic planning, we saw internationalization as the catalyst for bringing the

school to a higher level of distinctiveness and the enabler for recruiting world-class faculty.

The perfect storm arrived when AACSB (the business school’s accrediting body) mandated

all business schools to internationalize the curriculum. These efforts led to the business

school spearheading the crafting of the university’s Mission Statement for International

Education, which would serve as the big tent for Fresno State’s internationalization

initiatives. As academic senator, I participated in developing that mission statement, which

the academic senate eventually endorsed and the president approved in the springof 1986.

Lesson #1: The starting point of internationalizing the university is a mission statement,

to which future internationalization initiatives should be aligned. This statement should

be the product of stakeholder consultations and should represent to the world how the

university defines comprehensive internationalization.

At around 1988/1989, our business school began thinking of ways by which we could

introduce our school into the international community of scholars. This gave rise to the

design to organize and support an annual Asia Pacific Conference on International

Accounting Issues. The first conference was held at Fresno State in October 1989 and

attracted 150 scholars and practitioners from 96 institutions and 17 countries to participate,

discuss, and share their experiences in harmonizing international accounting practices in the

Asia Pacific region.

During my deanship, we decided that the best way to ensure the effectiveness and

sustainability of the fledgling conference was to hold the annual conference in different

venues in the Asia Pacific region and to secure an institutional partner as co-host of each

conference. The conference is now on its 26th year and has been hosted by many business


schools through the Asia Pacific region. You may see details of the conference at

http://apconference.org/

Lesson #2: Raise the visibility of your school in the international community of

scholars-teachers by organizing or collaborating in scholarly events to which the

international community would be invited.

From 1990 to 1993, our business school decided to introduce our MBA program to

foreign locations, specifically Taipei, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and I was tasked to make

this happen. This was totally new territory for the CSU, which meant that there were no rules

and regulations governing the offering of degree programs overseas (let alone outside state

borders). Over a two-year period, I negotiated and secured approvals from Fresno State

Academic Senate, the system-wide Chancellor’s Office, and WASC (Fresno State’s

accrediting body) before receiving the authority to negotiate with overseas partners. I dealt

not only with risk-averse bureaucrats who lacked international awareness, but also with the

then-prevailing thinking that public universities were created to educate local residents and

not foreign nationals in other countries. Regrettably, a lot of valuable time was lost during

these negotiations that, by the time we received our authorizations, our more agile

competitors have beaten us in the market.

Lessons #3: Before launching pioneering international programs and going through the

formal approval processes, secure the buy-in of your institution’s highest executive. If

your chief executive is not willing to join you in crossing a bridge while it is being built,

don’t waste your time.

During the period 1993 to 1996, I took a sabbatical to join the business school at

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore’s second public university, as one of its

founding faculty members. I developed personal relationships with academicians from

Singapore, Malaysia, China, and other Asian countries. These relationships proved beneficial

in my future leadership positions.


From 2002 to 2006, I introduced our undergraduate business programs to foreign

locations, specifically in Malaysia, Singapore, and China. I was then dean of the business

school at CSU Long Beach, which, at that time, was America’s eighth largest business

school. Our objective was to recapture the international student enrollment that we lost after

9/11. By this time, the CSU system has had some experience in offering MBA programs

overseas, but not undergraduate programs. Using the lessons that I learned from my Fresno

State years and using the contacts I developed in Singapore, I successfully launched the

programs in Malaysia and Singapore and obtained accreditation approval for them. The

Singapore program became the destination program for students from ASEAN countries,

while students from the Middle East populated the Malaysia program. I also successfully

negotiated the financial model for these programs with the CSU Chancellor’s Office, which

created a stream of net income to the business school. Today, these programs are no longer

operational as the restrictions on the inflow of international students have been relaxed.

Lesson # 4: Being a fast second is an appropriate strategy if you’re dealing with a risk-

averse institutional culture. External degree programs should be self-supporting, and you

should ensure that no tax-funded funds are used to subsidize these programs.

From 2007 to 2010, as business dean and then provost at Dominican University of

California, I negotiated 2+2 degree articulation and transfer admission (“twinning”)

agreements with business schools in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Crafting these

articulation agreements is a time-consuming process; figure about six months per degree

program. Our goal was to increase our population of international students from four percent

to ten percent of the total population. Cognizant that many international students transfer to

US universities from the two-year community colleges, we first reformed our General

Education curriculum to make our university transfer-friendly.

Twinning programs had the potential of enabling international students to receive a

US bachelor’s degree at a fraction of the cost that they would have paid for four years of

education in US soil. Despite this value proposition, of these three institutions, only the

university in Thailand became a feeder school. The main barrier to participation in the

twinning programs was the cost of US education.


Lesson #5: A transfer-friendly lower-division curriculum enables mobility of students

who might wish to transfer to your school. Articulation is a time-consuming process;

therefore, conduct a thorough due-diligence of the attractiveness and affordability of your

degree programs to students from prospective overseas partners.

From 2009 to 2012, as provost, I centralized all activities pertaining to international

students under one office—the Office of Internationalization and Global Education (OIGE).

OIGE initially had a staff of 3.5 FTE consisting of a full-time director, a full-time

international student advisor, one half-time coordinator, and one administrative assistant.

The international student advisor dealt with admissions, legal, and regulatory

requirements, while the coordinator dealt with international student experiences. You may

find more information about this unit at: http://www.dominican.edu/admissions/international

Lesson # 6: There should be a university infrastructure for internationalization.

Someone should be accountable for the implementation of comprehensive

internationalization. The university should ensure that international students obtain not only

good education but also have a memorable campus experience.

From 2011 to the present, as provost and president, I have actively developed short-term,

study-abroad programs for students from overseas partners. At Dominican University of

California, we hosted MBA students from Thammasat University every summer where they

studied contemporary management issues at Stanford University one week and then

sustainable entrepreneurship at Dominican the next week. Woodbury University recently

hosted a Los Angeles fashion and business boot camp for students from Miriam College over

a two-week period. These were income-generating programs that also created a level of

internationalization in our constituent schools. They also enable confidence-building between

educational partners, especially given the difficulty of launching the more aggressive

twinning programs.

Lesson # 7: Hosting a short-term, study-abroad course is an excellent way to build

confidence with overseas educational partners.


Looking back at these lessons learned and the obstacles that my school and I had to

overcome on our way to internationalization, it is important that the academic leader

championing comprehensive internationalization should include patience and tolerance for

ambiguity among his or her virtues. This is not the job for a risk-averse, impatient, short-

term-oriented dean, provost, or president. As the late Reverend William Shedd wrote, “A

ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” Throughout my academic

administrative career, I have probably signed close to twenty agreements with overseas

schools, of which only five really got off the ground. A 25-percent success rate is an

intelligent risk in the pursuit of comprehensive internationalization. With these words, I wish

you the best as you consider how to internationalize your department, school, college, or

university.

http://www.up.edu.ph/sharing-lessons-learned-in-internationalization/



References:

Yaakub, M. CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION TOWARDS THE REALIZATION OF ASEAN COMMUNITY 2015. pdf

http://www.up.edu.ph/category/asean-integration/

http://www.adb.org/features/asean-economic-community-12-things-know

http://www.up.edu.ph/up-gears-up-for-the-impact-of-the-k-12-curriculum-and-asean-economic-cooperation-2015/



https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/councils/asiapac/meetings/2014annual/tuesdaypdfs/esposo-betan.pdf

http://www.slideshare.net/gatothp2010/7-national-highereducation-policies-towards-asean-community-by-2015-v2








http://www.adb.org/features/asean-economic-community-12-things-know

http://www.up.edu.ph/category/asean-integration/

Documents

asean integration.docx