The pressure for innovation determines the mission of the Social Sciences and Humanities.

The pressure to innovate in universities is immense. In the social sciences and humanities, the pressure is even greater. The self-renewal efforts of each faculty member will directly determine the future of the institution.

Students will become increasingly discerning when choosing schools.

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan stated that the Vietnamese higher education system is undergoing rapid transformation in the context of the current and extremely strong digital transformation.

The transformation, in fact, has brought about certain "positions" and "forces" for the fields of social sciences and humanities – because the world has been affirming the irreplaceable foundational role of the humanities, arts, thought, and ethics in Society 4.0; also because in recent times, the Party and the State have particularly emphasized the key role of social sciences and humanities as a foundation and important resource for the development of contemporary society…

The opportunities exist and are quite clearly recognized. However, the challenges facing the school are also significant, specifically:

In recent years, many social science and humanities training units at various universities have had to dissolve or merge due to a lack of students. The Faculty of Humanities, thanks to its position and reputation, has maintained a stable and high-quality student enrollment – ​​even though the total number of applications to the Faculty has tended to decrease slightly each year.

While the percentage of high school graduates nationwide who aspire to attend university is declining, the number of private and international universities offering programs in the social sciences and humanities has been on the rise in recent years.

Private and international universities in Vietnam are not only offering attractive, application-oriented social science programs, but are also beginning to open interdisciplinary, modern programs in the humanities and arts, with pilot programs designed to meet the intrinsic needs of students and the workforce demands of the Industry 4.0 labor market.

High-quality infrastructure and modern management thinking are strengths that help private and international universities attract potential students from affluent backgrounds. Increasingly, parents are willing to invest in their children's education in the humanities and arts at domestic universities: modern facilities, liberal educational philosophies, and professional support services…

“The Faculty of Humanities will face the reality that it is no longer the obvious choice, much less the only choice, for candidates intending to study social sciences, humanities, and arts; and even less the top priority for students who have both high professional competence and good economic conditions.”

"There will come a time when the student community becomes increasingly discerning; they will not simply hear about the tradition of the Faculty of Humanities – the elite of the University – and automatically choose the Faculty of Humanities, but will consider all the quality assurance conditions of the University," – Professor Hoang A.Tuấn emphasized.

The pressure to innovate is immense…

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan affirmed: "Social sciences and humanities will only be able to fully realize their potential if we perceive, approach, analyze, and apply them to life in a new way: more creative, more practical, and more closely connected to the rhythm of contemporary life."

Recalling Minister Nguyen Kim Son's statement at the 40th anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day: "The world is changing every second, the amount of human knowledge is exploding, and the model of a master who knows 10 but teaches 1 is no longer suitable. Instead, teachers must grasp fundamental knowledge and be skilled in methods to guide and lead students to independently seek and develop knowledge, equipping and accumulating unlimited knowledge. Accountability and multi-dimensional interaction with students, parents, and society also place higher and more complex skills on teachers in terms of cultural and social behavior," Professor Hoang Anh Tuan stated: The pressure to innovate universities is extremely great. In the social sciences and humanities, the pressure is even greater. Therefore, self-renewal by each lecturer and staff member will directly determine the future of the university.

The University of Social Sciences and Humanities needs to quickly seize the current opportunity to transform it into results, both in scientific research, professional teaching, and community service. It's often said, "Opportunity is like the sunrise; if you wait too long, you'll miss it." The current opportunity for change and breakthrough in the social sciences and humanities may not last long; it will pass quickly if we don't take advantage of it.

The Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities hopes that all faculty and staff of the University will continue to strongly innovate university governance, innovate teaching and learning methods, promote the updating of scientific knowledge, open up new research directions, and build new training programs that are both in-depth and interdisciplinary to improve the quality of research, training, and service to the community.

"Only when we dare to embark on the path of innovation and integration can we welcome the dawn of humanism against the backdrop of a higher education system that is already very new and very different," Professor Tuan expressed.

We can't keep "eating traditionally and living in the future" forever.

With 77 years of tradition and 27 years of development, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has fundamentally affirmed its position and reputation on the map of Vietnamese universities, earning the trust and cooperation of international scientific and training partners.

According to Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, the current position and reputation of the University are a blend of the traditions of the Faculty of Literature - the essence of the University - and the core humanistic values ​​that have been diligently cultivated by generations of teachers over many years.

Tradition is a resource, an intrinsic strength. Every staff member of the Faculty of Humanities today has a responsibility to continue nurturing it, and especially to find the best solutions to promote and amplify that tradition, instead of passively waiting for the future.

"The school is strongly promoting comprehensive innovation in teaching, research, and community service to move the institution into a new phase of development."

"To achieve results, the entire faculty and staff of the school must unite, focus, and work together to develop the school according to the motto 'Humanism as the foundation - Modernity as the trend' that the school has defined," Professor Hoang Anh Tuan emphasized.

Link to the article: https://daibieunhandan.vn/giao-duc--y-te1/ap-luc-doi-moi-quyet-de-su-menh-cua-linh-vuc-khoa-hoc-xa-hoi-va-nhan-van-i308510/