Letter from Chairman of the Board of Directors Le Dac Son on the occasion of the new school year

Dear teachers and staff, in the summary meeting of the 2013/2014 school year, because the time was mainly spent on evaluating the work we have done in the past school year and at the same time implementing the work of the new school year, I have not been able to discuss much with teachers and staff of Dai Nam about my concerns and wishes so that we can share and join hands to build UD to develop more and more, contributing to the education of our country. Today, through the Newsletter "Learning to change", I would like to present the thoughts that have guided me and teachers and propose practical actions for the development of UD since the school's establishment until now. Based on my thoughts, I hope to continue to analyze, discuss, and grasp the objective laws of motion with teachers to draw valuable lessons to serve the goal of building our University of Danang into a strong brand in the national education system by 2020.

I. University Education is a type of service.

That is an objective rule and I always consider it as the motto for building and developing Dai Nam University. This is not a new point of view and has been clearly proven in all countries with developed higher education. However, in Vietnam, the state considers higher education as social welfare, the state spends money to build and subsidize both teachers and students in the public education system, leading to both investment and dispersion, and low per student, so the quality of human resource training does not meet the increasing needs of society. The above thinking also creates financial inequality, in the right to enjoy educational welfare for students studying in private schools. This leads to private schools having to invest in facilities, pay salaries for teaching staff and of course, private school students have to pay tuition when studying at these schools. When students have to pay tuition to study, it means that we are the service providers and they are the customers. In my opinion, at Dai Nam University, I always consider that we are providing educational services. We are the ones providing training services to Dai Nam students. Therefore, I suggest that teachers consider Dai Nam students as their customers, they are the ones who pay us to buy the services that we provide to them: Professional knowledge; Foreign languages and working skills... so that they can succeed in life after graduation.

II- Must serve best to satisfy students

Students pay us to provide them with the best possible education for their tuition fees. We are obliged to provide and are providing students with the following education content commensurate with the amount of money they pay (tuition fees):

1. Professional training program linked to real life.

2. Standard English proficiency enables students to work in an international environment.

3. Master the skills of working in businesses and organizations : communication skills, presentation skills, teamwork skills, negotiation skills, leadership skills...

4. Group activities and club activities to help students improve their communication skills and expand their friendships and social relationships.

5. Create opportunities for students to practice scientific research, exchange with international students to broaden their horizons . I and the teachers always have to remember: the exchange relationship between the school and the students is completely fair. If our teachers do not teach well, do not make our students satisfied with the services we provide, they will go to other schools with better service quality. Without students, there would be no school, nor would there be me and the teachers. Of course, on the customer side - that is, the students: We have the right to ask them to use our services in the most effective way. And we have the right not to provide services to students who do not appreciate our services. We have the right to refuse and eliminate students who do not comply with the regulations set forth by the school, not to provide services to students who do not respect our teachers or students who abuse their role as customers to make unreasonable demands for their contributions to the school. When both sides understand this, there is no reason why Dai Nam will not develop more and more.

III- Dai Nam students are special customers

1. Our customers are special customers with special service.

No matter how long it has been since Dai Nam students graduated, the school name will always be attached to their subconscious, to their resumes, and their lifelong honor will be tied to the honor of the school. It is not like when we eat a bowl of pho. Customers come in to eat a bowl of pho for 50 thousand VND but the quality is poor, the service attitude is not good... So surely the next time the customer will not come back and of course, gradually, the pho restaurant will go bankrupt... The problem here is: Even if that pho restaurant goes bankrupt, the customers who have eaten there will not be affected. They do not care about the life or death of that pho restaurant. But with educational services, it is completely different: If Dai Nam "is not a school, the teachers are not teachers", loses its brand due to poor quality leading to no one coming to study or even being eliminated, then our students will have to bear the bad reputation for the rest of their lives. They will not have a second chance to choose... In that case, we are guilty towards our students .

On the contrary, our Dai Nam University is growing stronger in every aspect. Our students are always proud of their school. The reputation of Dai Nam will forever follow them like a red streak throughout their lives... That is also the responsibility and pressure for each of us .

For that reason, I hope that teachers and us will make every effort so that students of the next generations of UD after graduation will always remember and be proud of the school, when our UD day by day, step by step develops into a big brand.

2. Especially in the input results.

Most of our students have an average entrance exam score of only 13 to 16, the number of students with a score of 20 or higher is still modest. This reality is inevitable when there is still discrimination in the state's higher education policy towards non-public schools like ours. Most students choose to take the entrance exam to public schools for the following reasons: low tuition fees, good facilities, a large teaching staff, prestige in society... so public schools have a clear advantage over non-public schools, which is understandable for everyone. However, in my personal opinion and according to general statistics: In the top universities in Vietnam, the number of high-quality graduates who meet the requirements of employers is not much. The number of good bachelors and engineers is not because the public school has good training quality, but 90% is because the students themselves are good, have good awareness, and study hard to achieve it. I have told teachers many times that if two students have the same university entrance exam score, one student studies at the number 1 public university in Vietnam, and the second student studies at Dai Nam University, then surely when graduating, the student studying at our university will have better knowledge and working skills, be more dynamic and successful sooner. I compare like this to affirm that, with the active training program being applied at Dai Nam, with the love for the profession and high sense of responsibility of the teachers, we are completely confident enough to train our students with modest input so that when graduating, they will still have enough knowledge and courage to achieve success.

IV-Dai Nam University is not the biggest university but it must be the friendliest university.

I do not dare to plan to build Dai Nam into the largest university, I am only determined to build Dai Nam into the friendliest university in Vietnam in the very near future. What can we do to make that come true soon? I think, if we do the following things early and well, the goal will be achieved:

1. Build a team of dedicated and responsible lecturers who always know how to improve their professional teaching skills so that students can acquire the latest and most practical knowledge. At the same time, build a team of homeroom teachers (academic advisors) who must truly love and be close to students, consider students as their own family members to work with all their heart.

2. Building a modern and suitable information technology system for the long-term development of the school (Core Education System). Having such a system will support well the activities serving learning, examinations, processing and storing learning results according to credits, shortening working time, simplifying administrative procedures, creating connections between school activities between faculties, units with students, with alumni, with parents... . On the basis of the Core system to perform training services, we not only save human resources, but also create satisfaction for students, and connect students more and more closely with and love the school.

3. Each teacher and each employee should know how to smile at each other at work and in communication . Please know how to smile at your students. Although students are adults, they are still in the "age of eating and sleeping", most of them live far from their families. Therefore, I hope that when teachers teach students about professional knowledge, they should also teach them more about ethics and how to live a human life. When each person works a little better, each day they do a little better, our Dai Nam University will certainly be increasingly loved and trusted by generations of students and society. If we do well the above things, building the University of Danang into the friendliest university will soon become a reality.

V- Being a teacher is the most special profession in society.

        I have answered my friends' questions related to the concept of living in the current social conditions of Vietnam. I would like to share a little with teachers for discussion:

1. Of all the jobs I have had, what was the most difficult?

Answer: Making money (legitimately) is the hardest. I admire people who make a lot of money legally, regardless of their profession. Every penny earned is truly precious because it is soaked in their sweat and tears.

2. What is your greatest joy in business?

Answer: When my business creates many jobs for workers and my employees have enough income to live on, that's what makes me happiest.

3. Which is more difficult, being an entrepreneur or a teacher?

Answer: To become a good businessman, to build a business that can survive and develop for a long time, to be trusted by customers and society is very difficult. However, to become a good teacher is much more difficult. A good teacher must have 3 factors:

One is: good at professional knowledge and practical understanding.

Second : be good at imparting that knowledge to your students so they can absorb the most.

Third: Teachers must be shining examples of morality and lifestyle for students. Teachers, year after year, will train hundreds, thousands of excellent students who benefit the country and their families. Being able to fulfill the role of a teacher like that will accumulate boundless blessings for children and grandchildren, and happiness for generations to come.

4. Why did you return to education instead of choosing attractive and profitable business fields (such as Real Estate) that many tycoons pursue?

Answer : Children are the result of life, the priceless assets of parents. How I love my children, how I care for them, hundreds of thousands of my parents love and care for their children like that. Yet, hundreds of thousands of families have sent their children to our school, to be taught by teachers like us. The future of their children and even their families depends on our education. That is, "Money can buy many things, what cannot be bought with money can be bought with a lot of money" but certainly a lot of money cannot buy the respect of hundreds of thousands of Dai Nam students, Dai Nam University parents all over the country. That is the most special thing about the teaching profession, the reason I returned to be a teacher, to do education.

Dear teachers and staff of Dai Nam.

Some thoughts at the beginning of the school year that I would like to share with all members of our Dai Nam family. I hope that everyone will “calm down, listen, and think to understand”, so that we can join hands to build our University of Danang to develop and last forever.

To the visiting teachers of Dai Nam University

Dear teachers!

We invite teachers to teach students of Dai Nam University first of all because we love and respect teachers for their expertise and professional ethics. We are very grateful to teachers for arranging their time to teach our Dai Nam students while they are busy with work. The contribution of outside teachers has helped to improve and enrich the quality of teaching for our Dai Nam students. As the head of the University of Danang, I would like to point out some differences between Dai Nam students and students of public schools so that teachers can understand them more deeply. From that understanding, we hope that the cooperation between the school and teachers will become increasingly close and effective.

Firstly : They are students who do not enjoy educational benefits like public school students. They have to pay all tuition fees to the school to be trained by the school without any support from the state that they should have received. However, they still aspire to study to become a high-quality labor force to serve society. The spirit and aspiration to study at university of Dai Nam students is very valuable and needs to be encouraged.

Second: Most of the students have university entrance exam scores ranging from the floor to the average, a few have high scores. However, reality proves that the exam does not accurately assess their abilities, after studying at NCL schools, most of them have succeeded in the economic and technical fields of the country.

Third: They are our school's customers. We have the obligation and responsibility to serve our customers thoughtfully and reasonably.

Fourth: They are very vulnerable because past failures can lead to negative thoughts and directly affect their future learning outcomes. With the above characteristics, I think it would be unfair for them to receive from visiting teachers disparaging words about NCL students (intended to hurt them). Of course, our school will not welcome such teachers. However, we hope that teachers, in the teaching process, will be tolerant and understanding. What comes from the heart will definitely reach the heart. We also always listen to teachers' opinions to remind our students more, to improve their independence, to overcome weaknesses to absorb teachers' knowledge in the best way. We hope that teachers will give our students the most standard and practical teacher-student relationships. Once we always consider Dai Nam students as customers to serve them more and more satisfied, the contribution of teachers outside the school will make us deeply grateful.

Wish our new school year success!

Dear Le Dac Son, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dai Nam University