The Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU)’s Confucius Institute (CI) and Ateneo Internationalization for Mindanao (AIM) Office collaborated to pursue a study visit and various networking appointments with our partners at Huaqiao University (HQU), Fujian Province, China, last 18-22 May 2023.
Together with two faculty members from the Department of Languages, Literature, and Arts (DLLA), the officers from the AIM Office met with the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation of the HQU Xiamen Campus, and the College of Foreign Languages, HQU Quanzhou Campus.
The members of the delegation included: Mr. Romulo Vinci R. Bueza, AIM Director; Ms. Fatima Jennae B. Jereza, AIM Assistant Director; Ms. Lyd Ejira C. Ducusin, AIM Program Officer; and Ms. Gillian Marie G. Porras, AIM Program Officer. Aside from the ADDU International Office, we had delegates from the DLLA: Dr. Jennifer Joy W. Chiongson, Associate Director for Publication – University Publication Office and DLLA Faculty Member; and Mr. Norman F. Narciso, DLLA Faculty Member.
The first appointment focused on strategic ways forward through various cultural exchange programs and transnational higher education proposals (i.e. joint and dual degrees, academic mobility, and international learning sessions). The discussion concretized the nature of the desired collaboration between our universities.
The ADDU delegates were warmly welcomed by Tu Wei, Director of the Office of Chinese Language and Culture; Pan Xiaxing, Vice Dean of the Chinese Language and Culture College; Han Jiachen, Deputy Director of the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation; and Yang Xi, Programs Head of the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation.
Meanwhile, the second appointment with the College of Foreign Languages primarily discussed possible streams of faculty exchange for foreign language learning (English and Chinese) either through the ADDU Confucius Institute or the ADDU DLLA.
The trip included an opportunity for cultural immersion, which was arranged for the ADDU delegates by the HQU Office of International Exchange and Cooperation.
These study visits and networking engagements draw their intentions from the mission of the University to “promote cultural understanding and friendship with its Asian neighbors.” The AIM Office has found that thus far, given the advantages of softer borders post-global pandemic, it is important to gain visibility through face-to-face engagements with international partners to bolster active partnerships and truly realize plans for collaboration.