The year 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic affection has ended, but as the efforts from all HUFI faculties, staffs, Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI) has achieved very great and encouraging achievements on many fields. Look back twenty typical achievements of HUFI in 2021 for congratulation.
1. Implementing its dual goals that supported both the learners and localities in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic: Tra Vinh Campus as a concentrated isolation area of Tra Vinh province, HUFI dormitory as living quarters of 150 nurses, doctors from the North coming to Ho Chi Minh City, the headquarter’ and Da Phi Co’s school-yard as a local vaccination location, etc.
Overcoming the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City and its near provinces, HUFI carried out its dual goals that supported not only the learners affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the localities in the localities in financial and facilities used used for prevention and control of coronavirus. HUFI had in collaboration with the sponsors, organizations in providing food and necessities for the students stuck in Ho Chi Minh City or got in difficulties in other pandemic affected provinces; donating 500 million VND for the localities; handing over Tra Vinh Campus to Tra Vinh province, HUFI’s dormitory to 150 nurses, doctors from the North, the headquarter’ and Da Phi Co’s school-yard to the locality, etc.
2. Implementation and Result Evaluation of online learning
To implement the guidelines and regulations of the university's activities on response to the Covid-19 pandemic by the Ministry of Education and Training, HUFI actively conducted lots of online courses in 2021 and transformed the teaching - learning method from traditional face-to-face to online. The good thing about the lecturers and students was that they adapted well to distance education. Also, the result evaluation of online learning was available to employ. The success of these things is that the great efforts of leaders, staffs and learners in complicated COVID-19 pandemic.
3. The Success of full-time undergraduate degree enrolment (the number of candidates up to 61 provinces and cities)
The result which nearly 60,000 candidates registered in 34 majors (nearly double with the 2020 year) reflectes HUFI's enrolment methods in right. The efficacy of using of internal communication, internet technology, social networks have increased in reaching high school students. The determination of strategic areas also offered high efficiency in enrolment. As HUFI's reputation and brand are increasingly well-known, HUFI's enrolment will be better and better in both sides of quantity and quality in the coming years.
4. Three HUFI’s excellent projects entered "Students with start-up ideas" contest launched by the Ministry of Education and Training and the "National Start-up 2021" of VCCI’s Project Development Program
HUFI had in collaboration with the Southern National Start-up Advisory Council to open “Creative and Innovative Start-up Training Course” through online platform.
There were twenty-five HUFI projects on the fields such as food, agriculture, information technology, environmental protection, etc. helped by academic advisors, specialized lecturers. Then, ten best projects of them were selected to enter the final round.
As a result, three HUFI teams (one team of the first prize and two teams of the second prize) were participated in "Students with start-up ideas" (SV_STARTUP) contest launched by the Ministry of Education and Training and VCCI’s Project Development Program, as well as taken in Business Incubation Program and Start-up and Innovation Support Program of Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City at the support amount of up to 2 billion VND/project.
5. Granting more than 40.6 billion VND (the biggest amount ever) for the learners
Together with millions of Vietnamese people to overcome difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic, HUFI gave the support in granting VND 30.6 billion of scholarships and assistance for students in the academic year 2021-2022 by Decision No. 1370/QD-DCT signed by President Nguyen Xuan Hoan.
More and more students are highly like to drop out of school as they have bumped into financial difficulties at present. Tuition fee of a new year admission will be increase five percent comparing with the past year admission’s according to the approved route, but HUFI’s Board of Managers decided to reduce five percent of tuition fee for freshmen. It is meant that tuition fee of the academic year 2021 - 2022 admission will not change when comparing with the academic year 2020 – 2021’s. The whole students studying at HUFI also received the reduce five percent of tuition fee of the first semester of academic year 2021 – 2022. Therefore, the total grant to reduce tuition fee is over VND 10 billion.
6. Successfully Organizing the National Conference on Research and Application of Information Technology" (FAIR Conference 2021)
There were more than 600 delegates of 80 units which are research institutes, academies, universities and colleges across the country and more than 200 research papers on the theme "Digital transformation in the fourth industrial revolution", then 72 of them were chosen to present at the conference. In addition to the main activities of the conference, the Organizing Committee also held the late Prof. Phan Dinh Dieu’s 85th birth anniversary – the first Director of Institute of Information Technology and the first President of Vietnam Association for Information Processing.
The conference was held successfully in both forms of online and face to face on December 23, 2021 at HUFI through this pandemic situation. It is expected to contribute in HUFI’s development.
7. Education Quality Evaluation of three undergraduate programs and three master's programs
Overcoming difficulties caused by Covid-19 pandemic, HUFI successfully conducted the external evaluation of three undergraduate programs and three master's programs. In general, six programs can meet the standards of education quality evaluation, so they are expected to get certifies to meet with MOET Standard soon.
8. Recognized as “Excellent Unit in the Educational Emulation Movement" for two continuous years and recommended to award the Emulation flag of the Prime Minister on its excellent performance in the school year 2020-2021
HUFI has been excellent in all activities for two continuous years 2020-2021 through the Covid-19 pandemic. Under Board of Managers’ directions, HUFI created a great solidarity to overcome difficulties and achieved the best results. Thanks to the solidarity of the whole school, HUFI had been proposed to award the Emulation flag of the Prime Minister on its excellent performance in the school year 2020-2021.
9. Protecting all HUFI’s staff against income losses through the COVID-19 pandemic
With its experience on response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, HUFI protected all staffs against income losses, even supported the staffs who got in difficulties caused by the coronavirus.
10 . The whole of 724 staff members got two shots of Covid-19 vaccine at the earliest time
With its core values “Humanity – Unity – Forwardness - Innovation”, HUFI leaders caught up with the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and quickly appointed vaccination centres to get a two dose primary vaccine series for 724 staffs.
11. Inaugurating the Practical Experiment Center Phase 2 with new super-modern equipment served for learning and research
After over one year of the construction of Practical Experiment Center Phase 2, the center which is a range of new super-modern equipment served for learning and research and more than 70 labs was completed and run from February 2021. It is one of the most modern centers among higher education institutions in Vietnam.
12. Completing the 5-floor parking building and renovating administrative building (building C)
HUFI’s headquarter becomes newer and more beautiful with the appearance of two construction projects. The 5-floor building where can park more than 1.100 motorbikes was completed. Its design creates large space, safe parking and inter-area path. The administrative building was also renovated based on modern and convenient design, an enclosed space.
13. Opening two master's degree programs (Information Technology and Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Serivces) and three doctoral degree programs (Food Technology, Business Administration and Environmental Science)
With its great spirits and efforts, HUFI successfully opened two master's and three doctoral degrees programs. There are ten master's majors and three doctoral degree programs up to now. The first doctoral admission will begin in 2022.
14. The Junior Professor Council considered and recognized for five Associate Professors according to regulation and procedure for the accreditation of the title of Professor and Associate Professor; employing four Associate Professors, ten PhDs; developing four PhDs who are working at HUFI
The year 2021 is the second time when the Junior Professor Council was held at HUFI. There were five profiles approved by the Council, in which, four profiles whose lecturers are working at HUFI. Hopefully, these profiles will be approved by the State Council for Professorship, Profession and Interdisciplinary Professor Council. These approved people will be in important academic staff of HUFI. Because of significant efforts and suitable policies of attracting high quality human, HUFI employed four Associate Professors, ten PhDs. The number of PhDs, Associate Professors, Professors will be right on target of academic staff of HUFI soon.
15. Assoc. Dr. Le Thi Hong Anh was awarded the title of “Meritorious Teacher”
On December 9, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Trade held the conference on the academic year 2020-2021 educational and training Report and the academic year 2021-2022 Statement of mission. The conference was held in the form of online with connection to the delegations of universities and colleges in localities nationwide. It had the honour that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Hong Anh, HUFI Vice President, was awarded the title of “Meritorious Teacher” signed by the President.
Ms Le Thi Hong Anh has been an exemplary teacher as her devotion to education on tens of thousands of bachelors and engineers in the food technology during twenty-four years of working at HUFI. Many alumni who had been learnt from her are the key managements of domestic and foreign enterprises.
The title of “Meritorious Teacher” is not only a great pride and honor for her, but also for all staffs, lecturers and students of HUFI.
16. The published research works on the ISI and Scopus journals at the total number of 162 scientific publications ever
Under HUFI's operational innovation policy, the number of scientific research works have been increasingly in quantity and quality on prestigious ISI and Scopus journals. The result of 162 scientific publications on the ISI, Scopus (increasing sharply when comparing with the year 2020, 99 publications) shows the lecturers’ efforts, the efficiency of leaders’ supports and reward policies on research.
17. Successfully organizing 2021 online job week
On December 20, 2021, the Opening ceremony of HUFI Career Week 2021 was held at HUFI. The event was from December 20 to 25, 2021 at the headquarter through online platform.
Photo: The Opening ceremony of HUFI Career Week 2021 in the form of video ceremony
The program was taken place during six days, including interviews, recruitments and workshops. There were more than 30 recruitment units of 3,000 job positions attracting thousands of students to register. Also, 15 workshops on career orientation, soft skills of recruitment and job search were opened with more than 7.000 students to participate.
18. Website of HUFI is ranked 57th (up 62 places) in the ranking of Webometrics Accordingly
Webometrics (its full name Webometrics Ranking of World Universities) has been conducted by Cybermetrics Labs (under the National Research Council of Spain) since 2004, with data annually collected in early January and July and published at the end of the month. This ranking includes more than 25,000 global higher education institutions. The Visibility Ranking shows the influence level of the website system and online information, transparency or openness on Google Scholar, and Excellent on Scholar that measures the most cited articles.
Many universities in Southeast Asia have been pay more intention to their rankings reflecting their qualities and positions in their countries and worldwide, in which, Webometrics is more special because of its popularity, variables ranking, as well as the increasingly important role of university websites and feasibility of improvement solutions associated with the website.
Photo: HUFI in the ranking of Webometrics Accordingly (universities in Vietnam), up 13 places comparing with the first ranking of 2021
Photo: HUFI in the ranking of Webometrics Accordingly (universities in Southeast Asia), up 110 places comparing with the first ranking of 2021
Website of HUFI level significantly increased in the ranking (January 2021) of Webometrics Accordingly, the website with the domain name hufi.edu.vn is ranked 70th out of 178 universities in Vietnam, 583rd out of 3,861 universities in Southeast Asia. But in the latest ranking (July 2021) of Webometrics Accordingly, website of HUFI is ranked 57th (up 13 places) out of 179 universities in Vietnam, 473rd out of 3,828 universities in Southeast Asia (up 110 places).
19. The Opening ceremony of the new academic year 2021-2022, the 39th anniversary of Vietnamese Teachers' Day in both forms of face-to-face and online on November 20th
On November 20, 2021, HUFI held simultaneously the opening ceremony of the new academic year 2021-2022 and master' degree awarding.
Not like the past years’ opening ceremony, many celebration activities for this new school year were deleted and combined with both forms of face-to-face and online because of the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ceremony was successfully held with over 300 in-person attendees and over 10,000 online attendees. These numbers show HUFI’s adaptation in the current context.
20. Become the 19th higher education institution permitted to organise English Proficiency Tests according to six-level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Vietnam
Based on Official Dispatch No. 4694/BGDĐT-QLCL of the Ministry of Education and Training on organizing English Proficiency test according to the six-level English Competencies Framework for Vietnam, HUFI is one of education units to organize English Proficiency Tests according to the six-level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Vietnam.
Under Official Dispatch No. 4694/BGDĐT-QLCL, there are many opportunities for HUFI’s development and social needs on learning and improving foreign language ability. HUFI is going to open English Proficiency Tests according to the six-level English Competencies Framework for Vietnam for students, lecturers, employees, and officials who are working in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces.