The Road
QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific
Day 3
Highlights from the final day of the 2025 QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific
Coverage by Eugenia Lim
"We need to really focus on the value proposition."
"They are worried and concerned that AI will do harm to them."
Strategic collaboration as a growth strategy for higher education
Collaboration amongst higher education institutions, industry and government is now a strategic necessity for innovation and relevance. Panellists representing Asia, the US and Middle East spoke of the importance of leveraging partnerships with other universities as well as industry and global entities.
“One of the pillars in our strategy is collaboration and partnership. I don’t think any institution by itself can be successful these days, I think you have to look at where you can collaborate and get a competitive advantage,” said Professor Barry Winn, President and Vice-Chancellor of Taylor’s University.
For Taylor’s University in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia this means teaming up with neighbouring institutions, Sunway University and Monash University Malaysia, in what they call a “triple alliance” for research and facilities.
In a post pandemic world, there has been increased urgency and rapidity in developing collaborations, said Jill Blondin, Vice Provost, Global Initiatives at Virginia Commonwealth University in the US. She says there is a need to develop multi-pronged partnerships across research, academics, and student mobility and advised attendees to focus on the quality of partnerships, not just the quantity.
“We need to really focus on the value proposition and the way we align these partnerships with our own (university) missions,” she said.
This was echoed by Dr Ashraf Al Najdawi, Acting Vice President for External Relations of Khalifa University in the UAE, who explained that it was integral to align any partnership with the university’s strategic objectives and impact.
“We drive impact. We have to look at how the collaborations impact and influence the economy, at the same time looking at enhancing the organisational efficiency,” he said.
In addition, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Jill Blondin stressed the importance of establishing mutual needs and value propositions for equitable partnerships. She emphasized the importance of reciprocity and cultural agility in order to achieve effective collaboration.
“The future of higher education is inter-institutional, it’s us working together to solve the problems that affect us in a rapidly evolving academic landscape,” said Vice Provost Blondin.
Given the growing geopolitical uncertainty and fast-paced technological advancements, panellists agreed that higher education institutions must band together in order to respond adequately.
“Universities are a force for good, so we need a global perspective. We need good and intelligent people to come together so that we can make really meaningful decisions,” said Professor Winn.
How AI is transforming communication and society
Artificial Intelligence has become deeply embedded in how we share and create information, impacting the accountability, transparency and trust of institutions.
More media literacy education is needed and individuals young and old need to be equipped with critical evaluation skills, said leading scholars in the area of communications and media.
Higher education institutions should prepare their students to be trustworthy and responsible collaborators with AI, said City University of Hong Kong’s Head and Chair Professor at the Department of Media and Communication, Yi-Hui Christine Huang.
She explained the urgent need to develop 'AI literacy' skills, including teaching students to understand when and how to use AI effectively.
Based on her research, she found that public perception and adoption of AI was the most favourable in the Chinese mainland, while the US and UK lagged.
“People believe in AI’s ability, but they are worried and concerned that AI will do harm to them” she said.
As for what AI experts are most concerned about, Professor Se-Hoon Jeong from the School of Media and Communication, Korea University, explained that the risks associated with misinformation topped the list, surpassing job loss.
He suggested solutions such as the use of warning labels on AI content, building independent fact checking agencies to enhance credibility and overcome biases against news sources, as well as public and private media literacy initiatives.
Regulation strategies regarding AI hallucination vary globally, said Professor Jeong-Nam Kim from the KAIST Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy in Korea. He explained that the EU has the most conservative approach, while the US tends to be more industry-focused, and China is more state-driven in its regulation of AI.
“Not just the industry and the citizens that are using it, the government must step in, and also academia- the community like us must come together, and this is actually the first step and the most fundamental step to solve the problem” said Professor Kim.