FHSU Global Learning Partnership Efforts Expanding in Southeast Asia B Y S C OT T C A S O N
Photo courtesy of the American University of Phnom Penh
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R. VANDETH CHEA is a Cambodian educator, entrepreneur, and statesman. He is also a survivor of the Pol Pot’s murderous Khmer Rouge Communist regime that was responsible for the deaths of up to 24% of the nation’s population in the late 1970s. Chea is a visionary leader who has dedicated his life to rebuilding his nation. The Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror led to the decimation of the educated class of Cambodians, and rebuilding education was where Chea chose to focus his efforts.
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Chea made it his personal mission to create an institution of higher learning that would one day bring the world to Cambodia and Cambodia to the world. After years of planning and preparation, the American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP) opened its doors to its first incoming class in September 2013. But to create the world-class educational experience he had long envisioned, Chea knew he would need to find a partner with the expertise and resources necessary to see his vision fulfilled.
This is where serendipity stepped in. Chea’s wife, Sok Ly, grew up in Shenyang, China, and was familiar with FHSU’s partnership with Shenyang Normal University. On a trip to Ly’s hometown in 2016, the couple decided to visit the campus, where they met FHSU political science professor Christopher Pappas. FHSU’s model in China is based on the delivery of an American-style college education on a Chinese college campus, which instantly appealed to Chea. Pappas introduced Chea to Dr. Mark Bannister, the former dean of FHSU’s W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of
