Uwe Vettermann, ITS staff member, visited the Japanese partner university Akita International University (AIU) from October 28 to 30, 2019. Here he reports about this very positive experience:
During October 28-30, 2019, I visited one of our partner universities in Japan, Akita International University (AIU). The university is located in Akita Prefecture, in the Tohoku region on the northwest coast of Japan (Honshu). Akita International University is a state university and was founded in 2004. There are currently about 950 students studying there, of which 151 students are exchange students from 30 countries. There are 66 full-time professors (33 of them international) and 39 part-time professors (12 of them international); the number of non-academic staff is 92. All degree programs are taught in English.
Due to my activities in the IT service of the university, I wanted to exchange information with colleagues on site about different IT systems and - as TYPO 3 administrator - also about the web content management systems (CMS).
At the beginning of my stay, I was warmly welcomed by the International Office team and the Vice President for Administration at the university and introduced to the general organizational structures of the university. During subsequent meetings with the ICT team and the IT coordinator for education, we discussed the following topics in detail:
- the different IT systems at both universities
- the web CMS at Akita International University and HWG LU
- web-based application procedures for incoming and outgoing students
- web content maintenance, which is the responsibility of the PR department at Akita. Big issue in Akita in this context is the access to the content of the websites.
To my great pleasure, I was also able to exchange ideas with colleagues at Akita International University in my function as a disability representative for students: Applicants there must already declare personal impairments when applying. A committee of the university then discusses compensatory measures and the vice president approves them. Thereafter, all faculties must adhere to these guidelines. This aspect of university policy goes by the name of "adverse balancing."
One lunchtime, I also met with three exchange students from Ludwigshafen who are currently at Akita International University. They assured me that they feel very comfortable at the university and receive all the support they need there.
This also reflects the AIU spirit well: the students are the focus, they are very well looked after and supported, especially with regard to education. The facilities for students, such as study rooms, are available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in some cases.
Conclusion: already at the beginning of my trip I knew that Japan would be a cultural and also linguistic challenge for me. However, I did not expect the great warmth and openness with which I was received. I was informed in detail by the staff of the International Office and the IT department and the team for student affairs - adverse balancing, and the exchange of knowledge offered me new perspectives and aspects for my activities at our university. And culture was not neglected either: In the evenings and on the last day, I was shown the tourist highlights of Akita.
I can only recommend to all colleagues of our university to get fresh impulses for their daily work and to make new, interesting experiences at one of our numerous partner universities!
For more information on international exchange opportunities and the Staff Mobility Program, which is limited to Europe, please contact International Affairs.
