Prof. Dr. Elmar Steurer began his trip in the Vietnamese metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. He discussed the potential of a university partnership between HNU and the Vietnamese university with representatives of Nguyen Tat Thanh University (NTT) and presented HNU's study programs to the partners. After the meeting at NTT, Prof. Dr. Elmar Steurer visited the Vietnamese German University (VGU) on its modern campus in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. He was welcomed there by President Prof. Dr. Rene Thiele and Dr. Minh Hanh Le, lecturer in business administration and academic coordinator of two Bachelor's degree courses. His summary: “I look forward to the further development of the university partnership between VGU and HNU in order to promote successful and productive cooperation.”
Insights into an indigenous small-scale industry in the Philippines
Following the meetings in Vietnam, Prof. Dr. Elmar Steurer travelled on to the Philippines to visit a community of the indigenous Manobo tribe in Santiago (San Agusan del Norte). The Manobo run a small, sustainable gold extraction plant there. The entrepreneurs ensure, for example, that the surrounding jungle is preserved during the extraction of raw materials and that the resulting profit is distributed in a socially responsible and fair manner. This example of social entrepreneurship fits in with the content of the HNU Master's degree program “Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development”. In future, interested students will be able to take part in excursions on this topic.
HNU would also like to work towards further expanding the capacity of the gold extraction plant in Santiago and maintaining its autonomy, thereby making a contribution to international development cooperation.
Cooperation talks with two Philippine universities
During his trip to the Philippines, Prof. Steurer also made a stop at the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu. Brother Béla Lányi, Director of the Office for External Relations and Internationalization of the USC, welcomed the delegation for initial talks with the aim of establishing regular student and staff exchanges between HNU and USC.
Last but not least, Prof. Dr. Elmar Steurer met the President Prof. Dr. Renato Reyes of the Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT) in Manila, where he discussed the possibilities of university cooperation.
