The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) held an international seminar, “Innovation in the management of public administration training institutions in the digital era”, on June 2, 2023, at NAPA headquarters in Hanoi.
Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh, from Indiana University Bloomington, USA, the project leader of the “Partnership for Higher Education Reform” in Viet Nam (PHER), was the keynote speaker at the seminar.
The seminar was attended by Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President; Dr. Lai Duc Vuong, NAPA Vice President; leaders of NAPA units; and numerous NAPA officials and trainers. The seminar was held as part of the implementation of NAPA’s international cooperation activities in 2023, organized in a hybrid format, reaching out to branch campuses of NAPA.
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President, delivering the opening speech
Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh, Indiana University Bloomington, USA, and Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President, emphasized the significant opportunities brought by the trend of internationalization and globalization in transforming the higher education system into a cornerstone for enhancing workforce quality, research capabilities, technology transfer, and innovation. Recognizing the pressing need for educational institutions, particularly public administration institutions such as NAPA, the key focus is placed on updating the governance and administration model and accelerating digital transformation. As NAPA enters a new stage of development, characterized by intertwined opportunities and challenges, innovation in governance, administration, and digital transformation emerges as a decisive key to the success of NAPA in its future endeavors of innovation and growth.
An overview of the seminar
The seminar “Innovation in the management of public administration training institutions in the digital era” aims to provide the Academy’s management personnel, leaders, officials, and trainers with valuable insights and expertise in building and managing advanced universities worldwide. It also aims to foster an exchange of experiences in higher education innovation and internationalization, as well as the development of universities and governance in the digital age. On that basis, NAPA can conduct research and apply its findings to the ongoing process of administrative renovation, thereby increasing training quality at NAPA in the new era. Another aim of the seminar is to affirm and promote the NAPA’s position as a special-class public non-business unit, serving as a national center for training cadres and civil servants and a provider of high-quality human resources for the political and social system as well as research on administration, public policy, and state management. The ultimate goal is to transform NAPA into a regional and global center for training human resources, thereby contributing to the realization of the goal of building a dynamic, professional, effective, adaptable, and people-centered civil service.
Prof.Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh, Indiana University Bloomington, USA, presenting in the seminar
During the seminar, Prof.Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh covered nine major topics, including:
(1) Leading public administration schools in the USA (Indiana, Harvard);
(2) Lecturer motivation in research, teaching, and service in the US;
(3) Global research and international publication;
(4) Innovation in teaching and learning methods;
(5) The mission of serving society and providing policy advice of public administration training institutions;
(6) Student support system;
(7) Quality assurance and internationalization of training institutions;
(8) Digital transformation in administration, education, and research;
(9) The PHER Project.
In addition, the seminar received questions, discussions, and exchanges from scientists, managers, officials, and lecturers, who shared valuable academic knowledge and practical insights to serve teaching, research, as well as management and administration activities.
In the concluding remarks of the seminar, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien would like to thank Prof.Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh and all the scientists, managers, officials, and trainers who attended the seminar and contributed useful and practical ideas. These contributions have laid a theoretical and practical basis for NAPA to continue its research, innovative thinking, and unified understanding of the administration of training institutions; they also contribute to the successful implementation of NAPA’s long-term development plan, with appropriate milestones and steps in the future.
After the seminar, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien had a working session with Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Anh. During the meeting, both parties discussed and identified various key areas for collaboration, specifically: 1) Researching and supporting the development of a long-term cooperation agreement between the National Academy of Public Administration and Indiana University Bloomington; (2) Promoting the exchange of joint training programs for master’s and bachelor’s degrees; (3) Researching, surveying, exchanging lecturers, and building a network of experts; (4) Connecting educational resources; (5) Developing collaborative content to organize international workshops and seminars on public administration, public policy, and national governance; (6) Cooperating in the development of training programs for cadres and civil servants; (7) Connecting and sharing funding sources for education and research activities.
