2nd University Administrators Workshop

“The 2^nd University Administrators Workshop: Innovating Universities through Internationalization” was held at the Kyoto University Clock Tower International Conference Hall, February 1-2, 2007. The international exchange/study abroad personnel of 14 Asian universities and 10 Japanese universities participated: Chulalongkorn University, Fudan University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kasetsart University, National University of Singapore, Northwest University, Peking University, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Thammasat University, Tsinghua University(Beijing), Tsing Hua University(Hsinchu), and the University of Malaya, Hitotsubashi University, Hokkaido University, Keio University, Kobe University, Nagoya University, Ritsumeikan University, Tohoku University, University of Tokyo, University of Tsukuba, and Kyoto University. Participants exchanged opinions on the current state of international exchange and its future issues.

After opening remarks from OPIR Director-General Toshio Yokoyama, the participants listened to guest speeches made by Prof. Dr. Ernst Rank,Vice-President of the Technische Universität München on “Internationalization and TUM’s strategy in the German ‘Excellence Initiative’” and Prof. William B. Lacy, Vice-Provost of the University of California, Davis on “Enhancing International Learning, Discovery and Engagement: Seven Essential Institutional Components.”

During the workshop sessions, there were presentations and lively discussion on the following topics: promoting international research collaborations; fostering and recruiting internationally competitive human resources; and strengthening governance and management of international offices. The event was organized by Kyoto University to enable the exchange of opinions among those directly involved in the administration of international exchange activities and thereby raise the quality of the international activities of participating universities, as well as to improve relations between universities in Japan and leading universities in Asia.