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A delegation from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Debrecen discussed the further expansion of existing scientific and educational cooperation during their visit to Sunway University in Malaysia in November.
Following a cooperation agreement signed a year ago between Sunway University (SU) and the University of Debrecen (DE) in Malaysia, a number of teaching and research projects have been launched between the SU Centre for English Language Studies (CELS) and the English-American Institute of the DE Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FFA), facilitated by an Erasmus+ faculty exchange.
Within the framework of the visit, Péter Csatár, Vice Dean for Strategy and Economics of the Faculty of Arts and Balázs Venkovits, Director of the Faculty’s Institute of English-American Studies, met with CELS faculty and students and discussed further opportunities for academic and educational cooperation with representatives of the university. They also participated in the Sunway International Global Partner Day, where DE was among more than 20 universities from around the world.
Sunway University is one of the most successful private universities in Malaysia and the region and a valuable partner for the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Debrecen in many respects.
During the discussions, several opportunities were raised to expand the existing relations in the field of education and research by involving other institution faculties, according to Péter Csatár.
The Deputy Dean stressed that the opportunity to participate in the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme is expected to increase the number of Malaysian students coming to Debrecen.
Tamás Kiss, a researcher from Sunway University, graduated from the University of Debrecen and played a vital role in establishing the cooperation.
“Both institutions are striving to become world-class research universities, and the international research cooperation between DE and SU can help achieve this, which is also in line with our policy that cutting-edge higher education should be based on empirical research results,” Tamás Kiss said, who added that as an alumnus of the University of Debrecen, he is proud to contribute to the success of both institutions.
Last year, the intercultural learning programme was launched, whereby students from Debrecen and Malaysia work together on video projects, providing an interactive way to learn about each other’s cultures while acquiring essential skills.
“Research on intercultural competence related to the project has already resulted in international conference presentations and journal articles. And based on the feedback from this meeting, we are confident that the programme can continue in an expanded form in the next academic year,” Balázs Venkovits, Director of the Institute, said.
“Intercultural communication and collaboration with students from other cultural contexts provides them with valuable skills and experiences, and our ambitions in this area align with the University of Debrecen’s goals. Collaborations such as the one with DE have also contributed to Sunway University becoming the best university in Malaysia regarding graduate employment rate for the past two years,” Nicholas Lee, Head of the Centre for English Language Studies and English for Specific Academic Purposes, said.
During the one-week trip to Malaysia, members of the DE faculty delegation attended classes, held discussions on the ongoing intercultural project, introduced the University of Debrecen and the Stipendium Hungaricum programme to the students, and explored opportunities for cooperation with other units of Sunway.
In addition, thanks to Global Partner Day, they had the opportunity to meet with other Malaysian universities and representatives of foreign institutions, including from the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia.
This could further expand the faculty’s international network.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Facebook (Debrecen városa)
