Integration of topic 2 and closure: Shinobu Sato (University of Tsukuba)

1. Closing remarks for International Symposium on New Directions in Higher
Education for the Development of Global Human Resources. Launching the AIMs
programme in Japan.
2. First of all I would like to thank you very much all participants for your participation.
I am Professor Sinobu Sato, Chair of the Educational Planning Office at theUniversity of Tsukuba.
3. I was very interested in the topics of today as to incorporate your experiences in
the internationalization of our educational system with your practical concerns andpositive points.
4. While Tsukuba has fully English competitive undergraduate degree programs andover four hundred courses taught in English including the custom made classes for
short term visiting students, we recognize the need to further elaborate theeducational system by matching with the diverse requirements of the international
students coming for various missions.
5. Especially, now we have rapid increase of the short term visiting students every
year, and those students are likely stay for one academic semester for specificcourse credits or internships.
6. Particularly, yet there are key points we must arrange with the international
partner universities such as the course content matching, academic year startingand course period, etc.
7. These are key issues to speed up and guarantee the quality of the international
student mobility.
8. Today we shared the topics of the student mobility, especially undergraduate
student mobility in Southeast Asia, which illustrate the implementation schemes ofthe short term student exchange.
9. Now, Japan is participating in AIMS in Southeast Asia, and seven programs witheleven Japanese universities are members of the AIMS.

10. AIMShas activities over seven educational fields: they are Food Science,Agriculture, International Business, Language & Culture, Tourism & Hospitality,
Economics and Engineering.
11. Depending on each Japanese program, the participating subjects are different, but
I recognize common issues to sort out with our Southeast Asia partner universities
such topics as I mentioned on the course content, credit hour and timing of thestudent movement during one academic year and so on.
12. While Japanese universities provided the outlines of their planning today, we must
learn from the AIMS initiative on how to integrate Japanese efforts into overallAIMS goals, at first by having more implementation discussion on the course issues
by face to face.
13. Needless to say, the campus life is another cardinal issue for the students, andsharing the experiences on the student support is essential.
14. For tomorrow, I would like to invite all international partner universities with
University of Tsukuba, for the discussion on the implementation as a group, andalso upon specific needs of individual program to the counterpart programarrangements.
15. Also another group who may be interested in SEAMEO activities, there will be
another separate session in the University and you are welcome to be in thediscussion.
16. At last, on behalf of the University of Tsukuba I would like to thank you very muchfor your participation and future collaborations.
17. Thank you very much.