Our team across the world

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has five offshore representatives based around the world. We hear from them about what they are looking forward to in 2022.

five photos of female leaders in circle format
L-R: Fraka Harmsen, Le Chi Nyugen, Xiaoyi Guan, Jan Cao, Andrea McLeod-Karim
The University now has five offshore representatives based respectively in the United States (US) (California), India (Mumbai), China (Wuxi and Guangzhou) and Southeast Asia (Hanoi, Vietnam). As a new year begins, in this international issue of e-news, we catch up with the offshore team and share what’s coming up in 2022.

Fraka Harmsen, Director - US Engagement

Briefly, what does your role in California involve?  
I identify and develop strategic partnerships with institutions in the US to promote educational opportunities and foster research. Student recruitment, outreach, and marketing and brand awareness are a strong focus. I also work to foster alumni relations, promote philanthropy, and aid in the organisation of events.

What were highlights for you from 2021?  
Highlights included personally meeting potential students and alumni, and spending time at the Wellington University campus meeting with colleagues. Specific highlights included:

  • hosting a global alumni webinar entitled, ‘Where to next? Crunch time for climate change’ featuring Professors Tim Naish and James Renwick and Associate Professor Rebecca Priestley, three outstanding Wellington University academics, as the panelists.
  • working with alumnus Robert (Bob) Dykes on an April 2022 engagement event for San Francisco-based alumni, and students from our new partner institution De Anza Community College who are intent on studying at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
  • the signing of another new partnership agreement, this time with California State University, Stanislaus that focuses on General Education study abroad.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?
I am looking forward to the potential opening of the New Zealand border to international students from the US later in 2022, assuming COVID-19 becomes endemic. I anticipate working with US students who are interested in studying at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington at the undergraduate or graduate level. I hope to personally meet with more alumni and attend university events here in the US.

Juan Cao, Director – China Engagement

Briefly, what does your role in Guangzhou involve?  
My role is to identify, develop and manage our institutional partnerships with universities, government, international schools and other organisations in southern China, and to raise awareness of Wellington in China. I also work to provide support to local education agents.

What were highlights for you from 2021?  

2021 highlights included the successful establishment of a Sino-Foreign Joint Programme between Wellington and the Communication University of Zhejiang (in Hangzhou), to deliver a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. We also opened a Student learning Centre hosted at Capital Normal University, which is providing our Chinese students who are currently ‘stranded’ in China due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, with an on-campus student experience in central Beijing while they continue their studies with us online.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?
Workwise, I’m keen to explore new cooperation opportunities with Chinese universities, international schools and other organisations, and engage more with Wellington’s alumni network here. Like everyone, I’m hoping the pandemic will end this year, and that the opening up of international travel will allow our students to return to Wellington to continue their studies.

Xiaoyi Guan, Recruitment Director – China

Briefly, what does your role in Wuxi (two hours from Shanghai) involve?
My role is China Director, International Recruitment. I look after all recruitment activities and partnerships which relate to student recruitment in China.

What were highlights for you either personally or professionally from 2021?  

In 2021, I was involved in the establishment of the first Joint Institute of Victoria University of Wellington with Zhengzhou University, China’s largest university, in the areas of architecture and design. The partnership will see joint work to deliver qualifications at Zhengzhou University, with students likely to come to Wellington to complete postgraduate study after getting their undergraduate degree at home.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?
Personally, I’m studying Japanese language and hoping to pass J.TEST (a formal test of practical Japanese) in 2022, and professionally, there’s still work underway for the Joint Institute. I’m looking forward to helping recruit their first cohort of students, for our first programme as a University to be fully delivered overseas.

Andrea McLeod-Karim, Country Manager – India

Briefly, what does your role in Mumbai involve?  
I look after student recruitment and partnerships for South Asia and the Middle East. It’s an exciting role and involves a lot of student interaction, as well as building and maintaining relationships with universities, agents, and school counsellors.

As I am the first person that students often interact with in their journey towards study with us, the role also involves providing support alongside information, and many keep in touch even after they’ve joined the university.

Pre-COVID, this role involved a lot of travel, now it mainly involves a lot of Zoom.

What were highlights for you from 2021?  
While the COVID-19 period has been limiting in many ways, with additional time available that would usually be spent on work travel, it has enabled me to work on developing new areas. We have initiated or signed off a number of new strategic partnerships with institutes in India and Sri Lanka for student transfer agreements.

I was also able to spend time on developing our relationships with school counsellor networks, which in turn led to increased Bachelor’s enrolments from the region.

Personally, I enjoyed being at home with my bright and curious seven-year-old, who continues to find ways to explore the world around him even while confined to home.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?
I’m looking forward to our students being able to return to New Zealand (all fingers and toes crossed). We have some fantastic students studying online and I know they’re all waiting eagerly to be able to finally experience learning on campus. I’m also looking forward to returning to travel for the University again. I’ve recently completed events in both Sri Lanka and Dubai after a lengthy gap and it feels amazing to be back to face-to-face interactions (with all safety protocols in place of course!)

Le Chi Nguyen, Director - South-East Asia Engagement (based in Hanoi, Viet Nam)

Briefly, what does your role in Hanoi involve?  
Since I joined the team in mid-2020, I have been focused on identifying, developing and maintaining new and existing connections with University partners in Vietnam. I’m hoping to go further afield to the wider region once travel opens up again (fingers crossed!).

In addition to working with universities, I’ve also been building engagement with embassies, government agencies and alumni, and working closely with education agents.

What were highlights for you either personally or professionally from 2021?  My joining the Wellington team, and the reinstatement of a Vietnam-based office in 2020 has allowed the University to continue to have an active presence in-country despite the COVID-related travel restrictions for Wellington-based colleagues. At the end of 2020, we held a successful alumni event in Hanoi and launched the Vietnam Alumni Facebook page.

2021 milestones included: the establishment of a joint postgraduate programme in Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) with the University of Foreign Language Studies – University of Da Nang; the celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Joint Training Programme with the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam; and several other new agreements with Vietnamese partners.

What are you looking forward to in 2022?
I am excited about a major partnership we are currently working on, the details of which will be shared in due course.

I’m also looking forward to organising some more alumni events to celebrate Wellington’s 125th anniversary this year.

And naturally, I’m hoping that this could be the year I get to visit Wellington and meet with my colleagues in person for the first time!