Taylor’s University

Xi'an, the capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi province, was once the start of the famous Silk Road which linked China with Central Asia and the European Roman Empire. The biennial Euro-Asia Economic Forum was first launched in China in 2005, and has been held five times since with the aim of linking East with West. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Pradeep Nair and Datuk Seri Dr Victor Wee, from the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (HTCA) were invited to speak at the 2015 Euro-Asia Economic Forum. Professor Pradeep spoke on the theme of “Higher Education in the New Era” and he addressed the issue of “The War for Talent: Recruitment and Retention of Academic Staff in Malaysian Private Higher Education Institutions". His paper examined the structure of academic employment in private universities and the challenges faced in recruitment and retention of academic staff. He proposed a model for effective recruitment and retention which was supported by a set of strategies to assist the leadership of private universities to attract and retain academic talents and compete effectively. Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Dr Victor Wee spoke on the theme of "Cultural Routes and Cultural Tourism", addressing the issue of whether "Tourism is a Threat or Opportunity for Heritage Sites?" Professor Dr. Pradeep Nair also combined the conference with a follow-up visit to progress the signing of a MoU with Xi’an Eurasia University. He was accompanied by Mr. Elvin Tan from our office of Transnational Education (TNE). They were warmly welcomed to the University by Mr. Wang Pengfei, Dean of School of Leisure Management, with whom he had a series of discussions about co-operating in the areas of hospitality and tourism. For more about the Taylor's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts click here.