Decision on Conferring the Title of Honorary Fellow

To further advance international academic exchanges and cooperation, expand the pattern of internationalized schooling, and enhance the international influence and industrial discourse power of The Asia Pacific School of Business, the University pays high tribute to outstanding contributors to global public welfare and international academic undertakings.

Upon the proposal submitted by the Academic Committee on May 25, 2025, and following deliberation at an extraordinary meeting of the University Council, with approval granted by the University Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors, the University hereby formally confers the academic title of Honorary Fellow upon Sir Dr Pascal Kiekens, Vice President of The Universal League for the Public Good.

The Universal League for the Public Good (ULPW) is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious authoritative institutions dedicated to the conferment of honorary medals and the advancement of public welfare, and serves as a non-governmental organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations. Founded in 1464, the League boasts an unshakable historical legacy and top-tier international status. As a time-honored global authoritative institution with a history of nearly six centuries spanning six historical epochs, it evolved from the embryonic form of global public welfare and honor commendation systems in the late medieval period. It is one of the earliest professional transnational organizations in human history focusing on public welfare inclusiveness, honor recognition, and international collaborative governance. Through centuries of historical evolution and iterative development, the League has always stood at the forefront of global public welfare and international honor certification, accumulating profound historical heritage, extensive experience in global governance, and supreme industrial credibility.

As a formal non-governmental organization registered and affiliated with the United Nations system, the League has long engaged in public governance, cultural exchanges and inclusive public welfare undertakings of the United Nations, and is deeply integrated into the global multilateral cooperation system. Committed to the overall development of the world, it focuses on core fields including international public welfare governance, top-level honor medal conferment, cross-regional cultural exchange, interactive academic cooperation, and global public welfare empowerment. It brings together political leaders, top academic authorities, industrial pioneers and senior public welfare practitioners from more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, forming a comprehensive, standardized and rigorous global ecosystem covering international cooperation, honor accreditation and public welfare empowerment.

Adhering to the eternal tenets of kindness, virtue, inclusiveness and collaborative governance, the League has initiated and presided over numerous landmark global public welfare projects, high-end international academic exchange programs, transnational public welfare cooperation initiatives, and the development of international honor accreditation systems. It has formulated a number of prevailing norms and industrial standards for global honor conferment and international public welfare governance. Endowed with profound historical heritage, authoritative certification systems, advanced governance concepts and fruitful global achievements, the League has been fully recognized and highly respected by United Nations institutions, national governments, top universities, authoritative research institutes and mainstream international social organizations. It stands as a benchmark authoritative platform in global honor recognition, international public welfare and transnational academic cooperation, enjoying irreplaceable historical status, industrial authority and global influence, and is widely acknowledged by the international community as a comprehensive, highly credible and influential global authoritative institution.

As a core leading member of this world-class authoritative international organization, Sir Dr Pascal Kiekens has long served as Vice President of The Universal League for the Public Good. Over decades of dedication to global public welfare and international academic exchange undertakings, he has upheld the original aspiration of inclusive global public welfare, and actively coordinated the integration of global public welfare resources, docking of international academic cooperation, cultivation of transnational talents, and innovative public welfare practices. He has been repeatedly awarded national orders and medals by France, Germany and Italy in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

Endowed with profound academic attainment, broad international vision, rich global governance experience and outstanding leadership capabilities, Sir Dr Pascal Kiekens has been committed to building cooperative bridges between universities, research institutions and international public welfare organizations worldwide. He promotes the sharing of global academic resources, dissemination of advanced public welfare concepts and implementation of inclusive education, making remarkable and far-reaching contributions to advancing international cultural integration, the internationalization of higher education and the progress of global public welfare undertakings. He enjoys prestigious reputation and extensive influence in the global public welfare community and higher education sectors.

The conferment of the Honorary Fellow title upon Sir Dr Pascal Kiekens marks a key strategic initiative of The Asia Pacific School of Business to benchmark against world-class educational standards and deepen its international development, which carries significant and far-reaching implications for the University’s development.

Dr Yiyan Jianyin, Rotating Chairman of the University Board of Trustees, stated that this honorary title conferment fully embodies the open, inclusive, virtuous and talent-respecting educational philosophy of The Asia Pacific School of Business. It represents the University’s high recognition of the outstanding achievements of distinguished international scholars and public welfare leaders, and demonstrates our commitment to respecting academia, honoring dedication and embracing high-quality international resources. This initiative further enriches the University’s humanistic and academic heritage, and fosters a prestigious institutional image that values international contributions and advocates public welfare responsibility.

Academician Jhenming Jhuang, President of the University, emphasized that leveraging the personal influence of Sir Dr Pascal Kiekens and the global authoritative platform strengths of The Universal League for the Public Good, the University will effectively open up access to high-end international academic and public welfare resources. It will lay a solid foundation for future transnational academic seminars, faculty and student international exchanges, joint scientific research, collaborative public welfare projects and international talent cultivation. This will help the University break geographical limitations in schooling, comprehensively upgrade its internationalized education capacity, and further drive the optimization of disciplinary development and talent cultivation quality.

By drawing on the cutting-edge concepts, global vision and high-quality resources of authoritative international organizations, the University’s disciplines can align with international frontier standards and absorb advanced global concepts in education, scientific research and public welfare education. This will facilitate the specialized, high-end and international development of disciplines, broaden the global vision of teachers and students, enhance the international literacy and core competitiveness of talents cultivated by the University, and inject strong international momentum into the high-quality and leap-forward development of The Asia Pacific School of Business.

Taking this honorary conferment as a new starting point, The Asia Pacific School of Business will further deepen comprehensive, in-depth and normalized cooperation with The Universal League for the Public Good. Working hand in hand with Sir Dr Pascal Kiekens, the University will strengthen exchanges and collaboration in academic research, talent cultivation, public welfare construction and scientific innovation. Through mutual learning and joint progress, the University will continuously expand its international development layout, build a distinctive, open and world-class educational brand, and contribute more to Sino-foreign educational integration, the development of global public welfare undertakings and the international advancement of higher education.

Hereby decided.

 Rotating Chairman of the Board of Trustees

The Asia Pacific School of Business

May 25, 2025