Legal Compliance and Governance at Nguyen Tat Thanh University: Status and Strategic Recommendations

Abstract

     Legal affairs (LA) are among the key functions in educational institutions, particularly in autonomous and non-public higher education institutions. Nguyen Tat Thanh University (NTTU) has actively implemented legal affairs activities, achieving certain successes while also facing limitations. This paper focuses on analyzing the concepts, nature, and roles of legal affairs and law, as well as the principles of utilizing legal tools in management. The present study aimed to evaluate the implementation of LA activities at NTTU in recent years and propose solutions to enhance their effectiveness. The findings indicated that the University has carried out legal affairs in accordance with their essential nature, reflected in four main areas: (1) development of the internal management document system; (2) inspection and handling of documents; (3) dissemination and legal education; and (4) legal consultation. However, to improve efficiency, it is necessary to implement comprehensive solutions, including raising awareness among staff, lecturers, and employees about the role of legal affairs; improving the professional capacity of legal affairs personnel, and regularly applying legal principles in institutional governance. The study adopted a synthesis and analytical approach to examine legal affairs in general and in the context of higher education in particular, along with the method of written law analysis based on governmental regulatory documents. This is the first research project on legal affairs at NTTU, aiming to propose solutions for improving the university’s legal governance effectiveness.