The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) hosted the inaugural Higher Education Planning in Asia (HEPA) Forum on March 27-28, 2012.  Organized by a group of university planners from institutions across Asia, in conjunction with the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Pacific Regional Conference at Stanford University, the 2-day Forum provided a platform for university planners across Asia to interact, share best practices and network.

The theme of the Forum was:  Building a World-class University – The Role of Planning Professionals.  The program featured a variety of sessions with live video linked to enable back-and-forth interactions between Asian and US participants, including an opening keynote presentation on An America Built to Last by the U.S. Undersecretary of Education, Martha J. Kanter.  Presentations, panel discussions and interactive workshops maximized the learning and networking value of the event.  The HEPA Forum was featured in the recent SCUP-Pacific newsletter.

The HEPA Forum was targeted at university professionals involved in planning, and encompassed a diverse range of international perspectives in the formal and informal interactions on planning topics of strong relevance to Asian higher education institutions. The Forum provided a platform to strengthen the planning capabilities of higher education organizations across Asia. In addition, a high-level UK delegation from Leadership Foundation for Higher Education in UK joined in part of the Forum program.