The AALAU Presidents’ Forum was hosted by Mahidol University (Thailand) on November 25, 2022.
Representatives from 18 liberal arts universities across Asia joined the Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities (AALAU) Presidents’ Forum to discuss topics on the future of liberal arts education and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on universities. iCLA’s Director of Liberal Arts Program and Professor of Political Science, Dr. Rosario Laratta attended the forum, which was titled “Liberal Arts Reimagined”.
Participants discussed the relevance of liberal arts in uncertain times, the role of empathy in education, and how the academic community might work together to design universities and societies which are sustainable, equitable, and joyful. Keynote speakers shared how their universities navigated the pandemic and the desire of students to return to in-person classes after coming out of the lockdowns.
Dr. Laratta was a panelist and speaker in the panel discussion, “Design thinking in the liberal arts”. Dr. Laratta answered questions from the moderator such as what design thinking is, how design thinking can be advantageous in a liberal arts education, and how certain challenges in the liberal arts education may be solved using design thinking, by reflecting on the case of iCLA. Other panelists in the discussion included members from International Christian University, Lingnan University, and Tunghai University.
Next year, iCLA will be hosting the 6th Annual Presidents’ Forum set to take place in November 2023.
International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) Profile on AALAU
Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities (AALAU)