In August APRU Chief Executive, Thomas Schneider and APRU Director (Network Management) Jackie Wong had the opportunity to learn first-hand about UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz’ efforts to build up their research capacity in a wide range of fields to the benefit of the Asia Pacific region. The APRU delegation was impressed by the vast expertise that the two APRU member universities hold within biodiversity, food security, data science and AI, and how they systematically address key topics, such as gender, equity, climate change, and social justice. On the agenda were also exchanges on APRU’s future strategic objectives and the next APEC University Leaders’ Forum, which will be hosted by UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz in November. UC Davis is also leading the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Program, making the visit a good opportunity to discuss activities that could be shaped together for the coming year.

“I am impressed by the scale of UC Davis’ research enterprise and its transformative power in higher education, and I am proud that APRU and the UC Davis have established a shared vision of university collaboration across the Pacific,” Schneider said thanking UC Davis Chancellor Gary May.

“UC Davis’ advocacy of women’s leadership in higher education is transformative, and we at APRU look forward to giving it our fullest support.”

Schneider also thanked UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive, and emphasized his appreciation to learn about UC Santa Cruz’s focus areas, including its positioning as a leader within the UC System on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiatives.

Schneider also highly appreciated the feedback UC Santa Cruz provided, particularly the suggestion to develop APRU initiatives in art and music.

“Since UC Santa Cruz joined APRU in 2020, we have noticed the positive response of its community to many of the student focus areas, such as the Virtual Student Exchange, Quarantunes, and program-related courses, particularly inasmuch it would allow for increased student engagement,” Schneider said.

“We are looking forward to building on this foundation in the years to come and will make sure to keep UC Santa Cruz involved in our ongoing strategic process.”