Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

A year from the pandemic, the 20th AUN-BE Annual General Meeting was held on 15 April 2021 to share the survival models on this new normal. Due to the risk of the spread of COVID-19, the 20th AUN-BE Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held out entirely online hosted by De La Salle University, Philippines. The Meeting was attended by 49 delegates from 7 ASEAN countries.

The Meeting started with Dr. Eko Suwardi, Chairperson of the AUN-BE, invited all members to share the good practices and lessons learned on teaching and learning innovation during the pandemic. The members shared very insightful information and experience on this new normal. We all noted that the coronavirus pandemic has generated changes in the teaching and learning process in higher education institutions and has influenced the interaction between teachers and students. As a consequence of the pandemic, universities were constrained to carrying out their activities with students exclusively online. Online learning offered many benefits and some obstacles for students who may not be ready for the IT infrastructures. Therefore, both university members and students came across many challenges in this new era of learning and teaching.

The Meeting also informed on the progress of the ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management by Prof. Eduardus Tandelilin, MBA Program Director of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada. The Meeting congratulated and gave a big applause to Universitas Gadjah Mada, who has championed the implementation of the first ASEAN Master in Sustainability Management. The Program is in collaboration with the University of Agder (UiA), Norway, that will bring together various academic and practical perspectives to engage with pressing sustainability challenges. The Program is a full-time 2-year MBA (120 ECTS) but taught intensively over 18 months.

The selected multidisciplinary approach makes this master’s program unique. The courses will be taught jointly by professors from UGM and UiA, and practitioners from private businesses and public offices are invited as guest lecturers in most courses. Faculty members from participating AUN universities will also be invited as guest lecturers, based on their scientific qualifications and regional competencies from various parts of ASEAN. The first 24 ASEAN-based students will be enrolled for their semester this August 2021.

With this achievement, Prof. Hum Sin Hoon from the National University of Singapore elaborated on a distinct ASEAN Master of Science. The AUN Secretariat was pleased to serve and provide assistance to the AUN-BE to develop the ideas and concept notes further. In addition, the AUN Secretariat suggested to the Meeting that the proposed ASEAN Master of Science can make better use of knowledge and resources by linking up with other AUN Thematic Networks such as the AUN TEPL and the AUNILO.

Reportage: PR FEB