The Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias International University, Dr. Shawn Chen, attended the 16th AUAP (Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific) General Conference, and the 1st AUAP - IFCU (International Federation of Catholic Universities) Joint International Conference in Pattaya, Thailand, from November 17 to 21. It was also the 44th AUAP Executive Board Meeting. Over 100 delegates from 21 countries including China, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, and Canada, were present.

Following the elections for the new Second Vice President of the AUAP, Dr. Shawn Chen was elected to be a Board Member. The Deputy Director of Sias' Office of International Affairs, Yue Junliang, was elected as the Country Committee Chair for China. The newly elected leadership will perform its duties through 2019 and 2020. At the Board Meeting, several important decisions and initiatives were made, including awarding Sias the rights to host the 1st AUAP Piano Competition, the AUAP Inter-University Basketball Championships, and the 4th AUAP English Speech Competition. It marks another step forward for Sias in the field of international education while providing students and faculty members at Sias with more opportunities to participate in international competitions.

At the meeting, Dr. Chen delivered one of the keynote speeches. His speech was about how Artificial Intelligence was influencing our lives and education. He also invited AUAP members to participate in the 2nd Joint AUAP - IAUP (International Association of University Presidents) International Conference to be held at Sias, as well as Sias' 20th Anniversary Celebrations.

On behalf of Sias, Dr. Chen signed cooperation agreements with several universities. These agreements included:

- an Agreement on Training with Biola University from California, USA

- a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Asia Pacific from Bangladesh

- an MoU with PanPacific University from Urdaneta City, the Philippines

- an MoU with Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) from Valenzuela City, the Philippines

- an MoU with Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) from Bhubaneswar, India

- an MoU with Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) from Bhubaneswar, India

- an MoU with the Korea University of Media Arts (KUMA) from Sejong City, South Korea

- an MoU with Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University from Bacolor, the Philippines

- an MoU with EMPI (Entrepreneurship and Management Processes International) Group of Institutions from New Delhi, India

The 2nd Joint AUAP - IAUP International Conference will be held at Sias International University from May 23 to 25, 2019. Experts and university presidents from over 60 countries and regions around the world will gather at Sias to discuss issues with regard to the scientific and technological development of higher education.