The Office of Asia Engagement provides strategic planning, support and coordination for UT’s engagement in Asia. In 2021, the Office of Asia Engagement’s Global Partnership Committee built strategic partnerships in Asia. The office increased UT’s global visibility while also connecting with the local community.
Building Strategic Partnerships in Asia
As a part of the Global Partnership Committee, OAE leads efforts to building strategic partnerships in Asia. In 2021, OAE started to establish MOUs with and is actively collaborating with the following universities across Asia.
Global Partnership Committee
Em Chitty
Interim Director
English Language Institute
Center for Global Engagement
Wendolyn Davis, Ph.D.
Director
Transfer Center
Enrollment Management
Sonja Jackson, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Outreach and Recruitment
The Graduate School
Rachel Rui, Ph.D.
Director
OAE / Communications
Center for Global Engagement
Stephanie Sieggreen, MBA
Director
International Recruitment
Enrollment Management
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
The Office of Asia Engagement works with faculty and academic departments to develop and implement programs that are flexible and innovative. COIL program connects faculty and students in different countries through collaborative projects and discussions as part of their course work. The first COIL program at UT was led by Professor Moonhee Cho in the Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations, in collaboration with Nukus State Pedagogical Institution in Uzbekistan. Students from these two classes were able to explore strategies for engaging the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically climate action.
WeChat and TikTok in China
The Office of Asia Engagement launched a UT Center for Global Engagement WeChat account and a Douyin account (TikTok’s original version in China). These platforms were chosen because WeChat has over one billion daily active users while Douyin sees 600 million daily active users. OAE aims to facilitate recruitment efforts and engage alumni in Asia.
Support the AAPI Community
The Office of Asia Engagement is instrumental in establishing the Commission for AAPI at UT. The commission is scheduled to be launched in Fall 2022.
“As a member of the AAPI subcommittee and a faculty of the AAPI community, I am so appreciative of the support that OAE has given to the AAPI community and me.”
—Ling Zhao, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Nutrition at UT
Community Relationships
The Office of Asia Engagement frequently works with community organizations in order to bring cultural experiences and diversity to campus and to share campus resources with the local community. In 2021 OAE worked with the Asian Culture Center of Tennessee to provide holiday meals to international students who were not able to be with their families for the winter holiday. OAE also partnered with the Tennessee World Affairs Council to host the Women in International Business career panel event in October of 2021.