The Center for Journalism and Communication Studies reviews 10 outstanding achievements of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2012. These achievements reflect the continuous efforts of the university's staff, students, and trainees over the past year, and further affirm the university's correct steps towards the goal of high-quality training and international integration in higher education.
1. Reorganize existing centers and establish new ones.
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has integrated several centers in an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary manner, thereby improving the quality and effectiveness of their operations. Specifically, four existing centers (Center for Population, Environment and Social Issues Research; Center for Gender and Development Studies; Center for Asia-Pacific Studies; and Center for World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Issues Research) were merged into two new centers: the Center for Gender, Population, Environment and Social Issues Research; and the Center for Asia-Pacific and International Issues Research. In addition, two other new centers were established: the Center for Research and Application of Culture and Arts; and the Center for Vietnamese Language and Culture. By the end of 2012, the University had 14 centers operating stably and effectively, contributing to the University's scientific capacity and prestige.
2. Supplementing and improving the quality of the teaching staff.
“Building and developing a qualified workforce that can quickly integrate into the regional and international arena” is one of the four major action programs of the University for the 2012-2015 period. Following the set roadmap, last year, the recruitment, training, and development of staff were intensified and initially yielded encouraging results. The University organized a civil servant recruitment examination in accordance with regulations, recruiting 33 new staff members, bringing the total number of staff in the University to 485. The Board of Directors also received two additional members (Associate Professor Dr. Pham Quang Minh and Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi Minh Hoa) to strengthen the leadership and management capacity of the administrative level.
In 2012, the university had one more lecturer recognized as a Professor, seven lecturers recognized as Associate Professors, and three lecturers awarded the title of Excellent Teacher. By the end of 2012, the university had 5 Professors, 76 Associate Professors, 152 staff members with PhDs or Doctor of Science degrees, and 199 staff members with Master's degrees. 2012 also saw the highest number of staff members pursuing postgraduate studies and doctoral research ever, with 147 staff members, including 33 studying abroad. Besides ensuring the standardization of academic titles and degrees for the staff, the university collaborated with the Singapore International Foundation for the first time to organize a course on "Course Design and Teaching Methods" for young lecturers; and sent 402 staff members for advanced training in various fields. Sending some lecturers from NVCL to improve their professional skills and English proficiency in the United States and Australia; opening advanced English classes for staff in some departments…
3. Successfully transitioned to a credit-based training system.
2012 marked the fifth year since the University of Social Sciences and Humanities implemented a "revolution" in its training activities: the transition from a semester-based system to a credit-based system. With strong determination and overcoming numerous initial difficulties, the credit-based system has truly made significant progress. Leveraging the advantages of the credit-based system, the quality of education has gradually improved; there has been a clear shift in the thinking of both teachers and students towards a more proactive, positive, and creative approach; teaching and assessment activities have undergone many innovations; and training management has become increasingly flexible and synchronized. The QH-2008-X cohort (graduating in August 2012), the second cohort to be fully trained under the credit-based system, achieved a graduation rate of over 84%, including 5 students graduating a year early and over 100 students graduating a semester early. This demonstrates the high adaptability of students to the current learning environment.
The past academic year also witnessed many innovations in training activities aimed at further enhancing the advantages of credit-based training: piloting the registration of courses with lecturer selection for 4 courses and 52 course classes; piloting the use of course websites for 25 courses and 1101 student learning sessions; strengthening computerization in training management... CASA - the Training Advisory and Support Team - was established last year as an independent unit with the function of supporting and advising students and lecturers on learning and teaching skills in the credit-based training environment. With the establishment of CASA, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is taking another step in the standardization process to meet the criteria for accreditation of training quality according to national, regional and international standards.
4. Completed the conversion of 24 undergraduate programs and 52 master's and doctoral programs to meet output standards.
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has completed the conversion of its training programs to output standards for 24 undergraduate programs, including 18 standard programs, 4 high-quality programs, and 1 program under a strategic mission; and 52 postgraduate programs. This is a solution to improve the quality of training to meet societal demands by defining output standards to design program content and training plans. Training using an output-standard approach has outstanding advantages: it is linked to the needs of employers, thereby narrowing the gap between the university's training and the requirements of human resource users; it helps learners develop comprehensively with "hard skills" and "soft skills" to quickly adapt to the ever-changing work environment... Building training programs according to output standards also creates stronger linkages and connections between disciplines and levels of training.
5. Develop and implement several new training programs/specializations.
2012 continued to be a successful year in the task of developing new training programs to meet societal needs. These included Public Relations (Faculty of Journalism and Communication), a postgraduate specialization in Anthropology; a postgraduate specialization in Art and Film Theory, History and Criticism; and a doctoral specialization in Science and Technology Management. The university also completed the training program for Southeast Asian Studies and the high-quality Psychology program, which were submitted to the Vietnam National University, Hanoi for approval.
6. Completing training and awarding diplomas for postgraduate programs of international quality.
International collaborative training programs with prestigious universities in the region and around the world continue to expand and develop. In addition to short-term programs and undergraduate collaborative training programs, the University is currently implementing four postgraduate collaborative training programs in Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology, Organizational and Business Management, Hotel Management, and Science and Technology Management. In 2012, the first cohort of the Master of Science and Technology Management program – a collaborative training program between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) and Lund University (Sweden) within the framework of Project 165 of the Central Organizing Committee – concluded with 36 graduates. This success further affirms the University of Social Sciences and Humanities' position as a high-quality training institution, a cradle for training many outstanding managers and leaders for ministries, localities, and the country.
7. Scientific research activities have achieved many high accomplishments.
2012 was a particularly successful year for the University's scientific research activities. The University's scientific staff actively participated in many key national scientific programs such as: KX.02/11-15: Scientific research on social development and social development management in Vietnam until 2020; KX.03/11-15: Scientific research on cultural and human development and improving the quality of human resources; KX.06/11-15: Research and development on international integration in science and technology; KHCN-TN3/11-15: Science and technology serving the socio-economic development of the Central Highlands region. The number of state-level projects was the highest ever with 9 projects; in addition, there were 7 projects under the National Science and Technology Fund, 2 projects under the Hanoi City Fund, and 20 projects in groups A and B of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The university has organized 27 domestic and international scientific conferences, many of which have had significant and influential impact domestically and regionally, such as: the conference "Cultural Exchange among Ethnic Groups and Tourism Development in the Red River Basin" jointly organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Lao Cai province and Honghe Academy - China, aiming to further clarify cultural exchange among ethnic groups in the Red River basin, contributing to advising on planning for economic management and development, tourism development, and cultural exchange in Lao Cai and Yunnan provinces in particular and Vietnam and China in general; the conference: "South China Sea Cooperation: History and Prospects" officially announced documents on Vietnamese sovereignty over the sea and islands, contributing to advising on research and management of the sea and islands and exploiting the system of documents on Vietnam's sovereignty over the sea and islands...
The university published 628 scientific articles, including 32 international publications; published 14 monographs and reference books, including 2 works that won outstanding science and technology awards at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Notably, the university had 5 faculty members who were honored with the State Award and the Ho Chi Minh Award for Science and Technology.
8. Expand the area of lecture halls and offices, and increase investment in infrastructure throughout the University.
In 2012, the school invested in upgrading building C and is continuing to upgrade buildings B and I, adding 1200 square meters of lecture hall space. The school is also continuing to improve its information technology infrastructure and network systems to better serve the school's training, research, and management activities.
9. Improve and increase income for officials and employees.
In the context of the country's overall difficult economic situation, the School has made every effort with a focus on saving, rational spending, and proactively seeking and exploiting resources to ensure and improve the income of its staff and faculty. Revenue and expenditure are carried out according to sound financial principles, openly and transparently. Internal spending regulations have been supplemented and adjusted to be consistent with state regulations and the School's conditions, while also creating fairness in labor and encouraging staff to contribute… In 2012, the additional income of all staff and faculty members was adjusted upwards compared to the previous year.
10. The school's position and reputation have been enhanced both domestically and internationally.
As a leading training center for social sciences and humanities in Vietnam, the University is a prestigious destination for over 50 delegations comprising more than 200 scientists and administrators from universities and international organizations worldwide who visit to establish cooperative relationships and exchanges; nearly 700 foreign students come to study and conduct research. In fulfilling its mission of developing Vietnamese studies internationally, the University has collaborated in establishing three Vietnamese studies research centers abroad.
At the opening ceremony of the 2012-2013 academic year, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, President Truong Tan Sang extended his congratulations and high praise to the University, acknowledging its significant contributions to the country's science, education, and training. The President affirmed that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has continuously strived to become a leading training and research center in the country, with prestige in the region and the world in the fields of social sciences and humanities. The university's academic level and training quality have earned the trust of society and are highly regarded by international friends and colleagues. These are invaluable and significant acknowledgments for the staff and faculty, giving the University greater confidence and determination for the future.
