Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities
The Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities (AALAU) is a network of renowned liberal arts universities across Asia. Members can collectively enhance the quality of their teaching, learning, and research through this network, by benchmarking, sharing best practices, and extensive collaborations. The International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) of Yamanashi Gakuin University (YGU) in Japan hosted the Sixth Annual Presidents’ Forum of the AALAU on 24 November 2023. The forum focused on the topics “Liberal Arts in a Fragile World,” “Liberal Arts in an Age of AI,” and “Towards an Employable Liberal Arts”. Over 30 senior executives, faculty members, and administrators from leading liberal arts higher education institutions in Asia attended, either in person or online.
The forum began with opening remarks from Prof Sanjay Jhingan, Dean of iCLA, Prof S. Joe Qin, Lingnan President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science, and Prof Takeda Yoshiki, Vice-President of YGU. They concurred that the AALAU has been successful in connecting leading liberal arts institutions and has contributed to the development of the higher education sector in Asia since its establishment in 2017. In his speech, Prof Qin expressed his ambition for Lingnan to become a leading liberal arts research university and highlighted the importance of collaborative approaches across borders regarding challenges in the digital era.
Group photograph of the in-person attendees.
Group photograph of the virtual attendees.
Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science, delivering his opening speech.
Three keynote speeches were delivered during the forum. Prof Taisaku Ikeshima, former Dean of the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, shared his views concerning the challenges and opportunities post-COVID-19. Prof Mark Williams, Vice-President of International Exchange at International Christian University (ICU), explained that ICU aims to promote peace and understanding through liberal arts education. Prof Angela Yiu, Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Sophia University, said she considered liberal arts education to be a language that can connect the world and help us comprehend and interpret the world around us. She emphasised that individuals can develop critical thinking skills and gain a rounded education through different disciplines, helping them to navigate the complexities of our global society.
Speakers and representatives from the member institutions engaged in fruitful exchanges in the panel discussions that followed, and shared their experiences and ideas regarding the future development of liberal arts education in a time of continual change.
The forum showcased how the AALAU enables member universities to build synergies and how it creates opportunities for collaborative work within and beyond the group. More information and updates are available at www.aalau.org.