INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY ORGANIZES THE 2023 FACULTY AND STAFF CONFERENCE

On the morning of December 27, International University (VNU-HCM) successfully organized the Faculty and Staff Conference for the 2023 – 2024 school year featuring various reports on the previous academic year and plans for the upcoming one. The conference welcomed Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan – Party Committee Secretary , Director of VNU-HCM – along with 141 delegates from units representing more than 530 officials – employees of the whole school.

This is an opportunity for all school officials and employees to review the activities and work in the 2022-2023 school year, as well as to set out the direction and missions for the 2023-2024 school year of International University (IU).

According to the Conference report, the activities of VNU in the 2022-2023 school year have achieved many important and outstanding achievements.

Regarding political and ideological work, in the past school year, VNU has maintained the organization of propaganda campaigns on common national themes and participated in propaganda campaigns on themes of VNU-HCM. All party members, officials and employees actively participated in online competitions organized by the Propaganda Department and the City Commission for Mass Mobilization. The school continues to carry out the task of national defense, maintaining political security, social order and safety in the organization; performing well in fire fighting and prevention, protecting state and unit assets.

In the past school year, the school also completed the upgrading of the English department to the School of Languages, the Construction Engineering department to the School of Construction Engineering and Management, and established 2 more Faculties: Faculty of Economics, Finance and Accounting, Chemical Engineering and Environment. In addition, the school also carried out the process of renaming the School of Electrical Engineering to the School of Electricity and Electronics, the Center for Public Management to the Center for Training and Research in Public Management. The school also established the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Analysis and Research in Chemistry, Food and Environment. Moreover, the school will continue the process of upgrading the Department of Food Technology to the School of Food Technology and restructuring the two departments of Mathematics and Physics to upgrade them into two Faculties under the university in 2024.

The school’s land clearance work over the past academic year also made a mark with the clearance and recovery of over 3,500 square meters. International University (IU) also continued to promote digital transformation in administrative and management tasks.

Regarding education and training, the school has always adhered strictly to the university admission regulations set by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM). Two new undergraduate programs were launched, bringing the total number of undergraduate programs for the 2023 admissions to 23. The year 2023 also marked the highest number of graduates in the 20-year history of IU, with 1,485 new graduates.

The university continues to offer dual-degree programs (21 majors) and a transition program from undergraduate to master’s (BS-MS) in 7 different majors. The total number of master’s programs at the university is currently 12, and the number of doctoral programs is 5.

The university continues to strengthen its educational collaboration with reputable partners in North America, Europe, and Australia, including institutions such as the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, the University of the West of England, the University of Houston, Binghamton University, Andrews University, and Lakehead University. These partnerships offer a variety of training models, including 4+0, 2+2, 1.5+2.5, and 3+1 programs.

The university hosted and worked with 74 delegations, both domestic and international, in both online and in-person formats to discuss and explore ways to enhance collaboration between the parties. Additionally, the university sent six delegations to visit partner institutions both within the country and abroad. The school also signed 49 cooperation agreements (33 MOUs and 16 MOAs) with business partners and academic partners. The university’s communications efforts also saw significant growth, with nearly a 300% increase in the number of news articles and reports published by media outlets, all positively highlighting the university.

The management and scientific research efforts at International University were also a proud highlight in the past academic year. The university published 544 scientific works, including 251 ISI, Scopus, and ESCI-indexed papers, achieving a ratio of 1.6 international ISI and Scopus papers per PhD.

Numerous international workshops and conferences were held in the past year, attracting thousands of participants in fields such as Information Technology, Biomedical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Medicine.

The university also ensured support for its students through various programs, such as tuition fee waivers and scholarships for students facing financial difficulties, as well as for those with outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements. It organizedjob fairs and connected with businesses to arrange internship weeks and factory visits at major companies and corporations for students from various fields of study.

In the 2022–2023 academic year, the university also achieved notable successes in quality assurance. Four academic programs received ASIIN accreditation, one program was accredited by ACBSP, and the university is currently awaiting the results of an institutional evaluation according to ASIIN standards.

The university’s innovation and technology transfer efforts also achieved significant results, ranking in the top 3 at the 2023 Ho Chi Minh City Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards. It organized numerous competitions and activities related to innovation for students nationwide. The university, in collaboration with the Department of Education and TrainingHCMC, successfully organized the 2023 Initiative for Building a Sustainable Society competition for high school students in Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, it also launched a series of activities to educate students about sustainable development.

Notably, the union activities (Labor Union, Youth Union) achieved significant accomplishments by both supporting the well-being of union members and completing tasks related to propaganda and education for the union members. Additionally, the union members and youth members of International University were actively involved in charitable activities, enthusiastically participating in initiatives to contribute and share, embodying the spirit of “the good leaves protect the worn-out leaves,” to help those in need.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Đinh Đức Anh Vũ – Vice Principal of International University, presented the report on the university’s activities for the 2022–2023 academic year and outlined the plans for the 2023–2024 academic year.

However, there are still several challenges and limitations that International University is striving to address and overcome. These include issues in staff organization, student recruitment and training, ensuring the quality of education, and investing in the development of physical infrastructure.

The conference also included various other reports, such as the financial report for the 2022–2023 academic year, the report from the People’s Inspectorate for the 2022–2023 academic year, and the oversight report from the University Council.

Master Lê Đặng Thùy Trang, Chief Accountant and Deputy Head of the Finance and Planning Department, presented the financial report for the 2022–2023 academic year.

Master Nguyễn Thị Thu Thảo, Head of the People’s Inspectorate, presented the Inspectorate’s report on its activities for the 2022–2023 academic year and outlined the operational plan for the People’s Inspectorate for the 2023–2024 academic year at the conference.

Professor Dr. Phạm Văn Hùng, Head of the Supervisory Board of the International University Council, gave a preliminary report on the university’s five strategies for the 2022–2023 academic year.

The conference received directives from the higher authorities, including specific instructions from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan – Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of VNU-HCM – regarding two important tasks for the near future. VNU-HCM will closely collaborate with the school to expedite the completion of the procedures for the re-launch of the QTA1 building and to address the restructuring of the school’s administration. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan expressed his desire to see the comprehensive development of the school after 20 years of establishment and growth, particularly emphasizing the unity and consensus needed for the school to become a strong development factor within the VNU-HCM system as it turns 20.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan – Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of VNU-HCM – delivered a directive speech at the conference held on the morning of December 27, 2023, at the International University.

At the conference, the discussion points from the Employees and Workers’ Conference of the organizing units held the previous week were also reported in details. Contributions were made on various aspects such as personnel organization, admissions, training, facilities, classroom management, teaching schedules, as well as financial matters, contract payments, etc. These issues were transparently discussed at the 2023 conference. Representatives from the units questioned at the conference also addressed the concerns raised by the delegates from the units.

The conference also witnessed the moment when Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Principal in charge of the International University – and Master Tran Thi Thanh Lich – Chairperson of the International University’s Trade Union – signed the Coordination Regulation between the administration and the trade union.

In concluding the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Principal in charge of the International University – highlighted the outstanding achievements accomplished by the university over the past academic year. He attributed these successes to the collective effort, unity, and dedication of all the faculty members, staff, and employees who worked diligently to complete their tasks with excellence. While acknowledging these accomplishments, Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu also outlined key missions for the 2023-2024 academic year. These tasks which include: Personnel management and organizational structure, Enhancing digital transformation across various university activities, Training (both undergraduate and postgraduate) in management, developing new programs, and admissions achieving enrollment targets, Foreign relations and communications work needs to expand and diversify its content, Scientific research work also needs to be focused to achieve more proud results in the new school year, paying attention to investment in purchasing equipment, chemicals, investing in classrooms, laboratories, etc. Financial work needs to be transparent, clear, following the right procedures and ensuring funding to be able to complete the QTA1 project in the near future. Other tasks that will also be focused on more this school year include student affairs, quality assurance testing, innovation and technology transfer, libraries, information technology services, and union activities that will be more vibrant and achieve more proud achievements.

The conference also awarded certificates of merit and recognition to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The university presented flowers and congratulatory letters to 08 faculty members recognized by the State Professor Council as meeting the criteria for the title of Associate Professor in 2023: Dr. Huynh Kha Tu, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Dr. Nguyen Thao Trang, Dr. Pham Tan Nhat, Dr. Ha Minh Tri, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Duy Phuong, Dr. Huynh Chan Khon, and Dr. Nguyen Minh Quan.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Principal in charge of the International University – presented flowers and congratulatory letters to 8 doctors who achieved the standard for the title of Associate Professor in 2023.

The conference also sent congratulatory flowers and certificates to individuals with outstanding research achievements over the past academic year. Building on the success achieved in 2022, Dr. Ha Thi Thanh Huong, Head of the Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the School of Biomedical Engineering, was honored as one of the top 10 young talents nationwide awarded the Golden Globe Prize. This award was jointly organized by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Science and Technology to recognize outstanding young scientific talents. Dr. Ha Thi Thanh Huong’s research, which involves Brain Analytics software for analyzing MRI brain images and diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease accurately, automatically, and quickly, has been trained and tested on the ADNI (USA) database with approximately 96% accuracy. Additionally, Dr. Ha Thi Thanh Huong received several other prestigious awards, including the National Outstanding Teacher Award for 2023, the Women of the Future Southeast Asia 2023 Award, and was named one of the 14 exemplary citizens of Ho Chi Minh City honored as Youth Exemplary Citizens of Ho Chi Minh City in 2023.

In addition, the research team led by Associate Professor Dr. Pham Thi Thu Hien, Dr. Le Ngoc Bich, and Master Nguyen Le Y from the School of Biomedical Engineering also achieved excellence by winning the Third Prize at the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award in the field of Engineering Science. Their project, titled “Applying Artificial Intelligence Combined with a Polarized Light System and Histopathology Images in Breast Cancer Diagnosis,” was recognized for its innovative approach.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Rector in charge of the International University – presented certificates and congratulatory flowers to individuals who received awards in Science and Technology in 2023.

The conference also acknowledged the achievements of teams and individuals from the International University during the 2022-2023 academic year. During the ceremony, individuals and teams with outstanding work were honored with flags and certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training, and were recognized and congratulated by the conference.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Rector in charge of the International University – and Dr. Ho Nhat Quang – Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the International University Council – presented flowers and certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training to the teams recognized for outstanding work during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Teams recognized with the Outstanding Work Award for the 2022-2023 academic year received flowers and certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training, presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Principal in charge of the International University – and Dr. Ho Nhat Quang – Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the International University Council.

The Office of Scientific Management is the outstanding unit that received the Flag of Merit from the Ministry of Education and Training for its excellent achievements in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Principal in charge of the International University – and Dr. Ho Nhat Quang – Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the University Council – presented flowers and certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training to individuals recognized for outstanding work during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Individuals recognized with the Outstanding Work Award for the 2022-2023 academic year received flowers and certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training, presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Duc Anh Vu – Vice Principal in charge of the International University – and Dr. Ho Nhat Quang – Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the University Council.