Global Learning Partnership

FHSU Global Learning Partnership Efforts Expanding in Southeast Asia

BY SCOTT CASON

DR. 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.

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

Photo courtesy of the American University of Phnom Penh

CLASS OF 2022

Business and Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Phil Wittkorn, director of FHSU’s Global Affairs Academic Partnerships. The shared mission and values of the two institutions would become the foundation upon which the FHSU/AUPP partnership would take shape.

“We recognized quickly that our two institutions shared the commitment to establish an innovative community of teacher-scholars and professionals focused on the development of the next generations of engaged global citizenleaders,” Wittkorn said.

In less than a year, Chea, Bannister, and Wittkorn created an academic partnership rooted in the shared values of scholarship, innovation, and global engagement. In 2017, seven Cambodian students enrolled in the first FHSU tourism and hospitality management courses offered at AUPP.

Fast-forward to 2023 and the continuing maturation of this rapidly expanding global partnership. AUPP today provides a rigorous, principled, American-style educational opportunity for the youth of Cambodia.

“The Cambodian people are special, their history is special, and the young people of their society are so focused on building a new future,” said Dr. Jeni McRay, FHSU’s assistant provost of internationalization and strategic initiatives. “This partnership is a powerful expression of the core values of this university and everything we are trying to achieve through our global engagement efforts.”

AUPP remains the first and only American-styled university in the country. The addition of new graduate programs in business, computer science, and professional studies aligns with workforce development needs in Cambodia.

Robbins College professor Dr. Ed Vengrouskie is leading the effort to expand the partnership on the ground in Cambodia, working closely with many of the students, faculty, and administrators on campus to establish protocols for increased virtual engagements, on-site instruction, support for student recruitment, and establishing student-led co-curricular activities that mirror the opportunities enjoyed by students at FHSU.

The new academic year at AUPP is slated to begin in January 2024. This temporary adjustment to the traditional academic year is a byproduct of the lingering effects of the global pandemic. Wittkorn expects this new academic year will see partnership program enrollment double at AUPP.

FHSU and AUPP faculty and administrators are also working to expand and strengthen the partnership by recruiting faculty and staff to live and work on campus in Cambodia. The establishment of a cadre of FHSU faculty who live and work at AUPP is the ultimate goal. This transition will take place over the next couple of years and will evolve through the gradual inclusion of more faculty and staff. One goal is to provide opportunities for FHSU

faculty and staff to experience teaching and working on the AUPP campus through a short-term faculty exchange program.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Dr. Chea recently shifted his focus to the modernization of the country’s digital and information technology infrastructure. He now serves as the Cambodian Minister of Post and Telecommunications, representing his nation on the world stage. Chea remains closely connected to the university he founded, and his wife, Sok Ly, also serves as a university trustee.

Now in a new role outside of higher education, Chea’s connections to FHSU remain strong. The deans of the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship and the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology, and Mathematics actively support the minister’s efforts, providing ready access to FHSU faculty experts in the fields of telecommunications and information technology.

Students from AUPP in Cambodia and their families traveled to FHSU to participate in the Fall 2022 graduation ceremony.