Office of the Vice President for External Affairs

Our direction

Vision, Mission & Goals

Our journey

History

1. 1997

   Center for Global Education (CGE) Established

   AUF supports internationalization or globalization, particularly the initiatives geared towards international or cross-border education. It is in this spirit that AUF launched the Center for Global Education (CGE) on June 22, 1997 which has the following objectives:

   • To promote the internationalization of the University’s quest for academic excellence, thus elevating the institution’s world-class status;
   • To forge linkages and collaboration with other institutions of higher learning in the Asia-Pacific region;
   • To provide relevant training programs to meet the manpower demands of business and industry;
   • To serve as the center in formulating global agenda that will address key issues and strategies on higher education in preparation for the next millennium; and
   • To provide the exchange of publications and academic information, faculty and students.
2. 2000s

   Evolution to International Affairs (IA)

   Under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), the CGE evolved into the International Affairs (IA). The IA was established in the same spirit as that of the CGE, that is, to be responsible for the integration and implementation of the ethos of internationalization thrust of AUF. Specifically, it has the following objectives:

   • Promote AUF brand name internationally;
   • Network and establish partnerships with leading universities in the ASEAN region;
   • Improve the environment for international support services within AUF;
   • Promote short-term study abroad programs during summer or semestral breaks;
   • Enhance the quality of the ESL program;
   • Develop foreign-accredited programs to attract more international students to AUF;
   • Increase international initiatives and activities for AUF students, staff and faculty;
   • Expand various international research networks while strengthening the existing university-wide networks in interdisciplinary research areas; and
   • Explore other areas of cooperation such as joint international conference, collaborative research, and sharing of library holdings with projects and programs.
3. 2023

   Office of Global Relations (OGR) Created

   In 2023, to further strengthen the implementation of Internationalization initiatives and programs of the University, the Office of Global Relations (OGR) was established. The OGR is under the Office of the University President and is dedicated to provide administrative support to the academic units, enabling the strategic designing and effective implementation of internationalization initiatives and programs, contributing to achieving a competitive advantage in the field of education. Specifically, it has the following objectives:

   • To establish mutually beneficial partnership with international educational and research entities, institutions, agencies, and organizations, contributing to the promotion of quality education;
   • To provide administrative support in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Internationalization programs and initiatives;
   • To assist students, faculty, and administrators participating to Internationalization programs, both inbound and outbound;
   • To coordinate Internationalization activities such as school visits, benchmarking activities, and consultative conferences; and
   • To consistently adopt innovative practices aimed at improving the University's Internationalization programs, thereby ensuring the highest level of satisfaction among its clients.
4. 2026

   Office of the Vice President for External Affairs (OVPEA) Established

   In March 2, 2026, to ensure harmonized establishment of networks, linkages, and partnerships with local, national, regional, and international agencies and groups to pursue its vision, mission, and goals, the University established the Office of the Vice President for External Affairs (OVPEA) which governs three units including the Office of University Relations, Alumni Affairs and Placement Services, and Confucius Institute. The mandate of the Vice President for External Affairs (VPEA) is to provide executive-level leadership in setting the overall direction of the University’s external relations, particularly in establishing and sustaining strategic partnerships with universities, organizations, institutions, industry partners, and other stakeholders, both local and international, to support the holistic development of students, teaching personnel, and non-teaching staff. The VPEA further institutionalizes quality assurance mechanisms and data-driven systems to ensure the continuous improvement, effective monitoring, and informed management of internationalization and external engagement programs.