In recent years, the number of flights between Taiwan and Europe has dramatically increased, and Europe has become popular for Taiwanese young people to work and study. This is a remarkable achievement accomplished by the former ambassador to France, Ming-zhong Zhang. Ambassador Zhang was invited by the Office of International and Cross-Strait Affairs to introduce the European culture and society, political system, the European Union, Taiwan-EU relations, and his Michelin French gourmet experience at the "Lecture Series on International Education". NCUE President Ming-fei Chen hosted the event. International Office Dean Melody Wen was also present. It is expected that this lecture help nurture students' worldviews.
On April 22, 2021 (Earth Day), NCUE and Fulbright Taiwan jointly organized a tree planting event, at which a Podocarpus Pine was planted on each of NCUE campuses and a thousand saplings were given away, to echo the concept of environmental protection. Director William Brent Christensen of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) conveyed his congratulations through Fulbright Taiwan Executive Director Randall L. Nadeau. It is expected that this event involving government, industry, academia, international partners, and local residents helps raise public awareness about environmental sustainability.
The number of newly reported COVID-19 cases continues its upward trend worldwide. Most of the foreign students at NCUE stayed in Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holidays. NCUE International and Cross-Strait Affairs Office (OICA), in conjunction with overseas student associations, organized a series of care activities, including a Spring Festival Party, for overseas students to help them feel less homesick and provide timely assistance.
At the end of 2020 the Office of International and Cross-strait Affair (OICA) hosted a workshop that shared MOE funding resources available for international exchange projects with NCUE faculty, such as the Learning to Build Dreams Program series, the Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP), and the Cooperation and Exchange Program- ASEAN and South Asian Countries (aka New Southbound Program). The participants of the event include Dean Yong-ling Lai of the College of Engineering, former Acting Dean Han-wen Li of the College of Science, Director Shu-fen Lin of the Graduate Institute of Science and Education, and Director Jing-fang Li of the Center for General Education. The OICA stated that, in order to encourage NCUE faculty to apply for project funds, the Office will visit the colleges or departments that ask for further information in hopes of enhancing their excellence in teaching and research.
The end of the year is the time for a family reunion, however, the COVID-19 pandemic makes it hard for international students. To help reduce their feelings of anxiety, the Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) and NCUE Overseas Chinese Student Association (OCSA) hosted a series of activities, including Christmas parties, luncheons and field trips, which enabled students to get together to relax and get rid of homesickness.
Following Program Director Lisa Lin’s visit in October, Executive Fulbright Taiwan Executive Director Dr. Randall L. Nadeau from the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (Fulbright Taiwan) recently headed a delegation to NCUE to renew the MOU between NCUE and the Consortium for Study Abroad in Taiwan (CSAT). NCUE signed the MOU in 2017. This is one of the few channels enabling American students to come to Taiwan for exchange during the COVID-19 era.
During the "International Week" in October 2020, the NCUE Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) invited Taiwan’s former ambassador Yu-feng Chu to give a lecture on international etiquette. She combined theories and her practical experience along with on-site demonstrations to show how to behave appropriately on important occasions.
NCUE Overseas Chinese Student Association (OCSA) held a small annual farewell party for the international graduating students despite the COVID-19 pandemic. At the event, OCSA unexpectedly presented a pre-recorded video in which the new graduates’ family and friends, who were not able to come to Taiwan and join the graduation celebration, extended their wholehearted blessings without actually letting the students know. The students burst into tears when seeing the surprising gift because they had not seen their family for a long time. This sweet arrangement and the presence of NCUE President Yen-Kuang Kuo, who is going to resign at the end of the semester, warmed the hearts of teachers and students on the scene.
According to the 2020 Rankings for Taiwan’s Top Universities published by the Global Views Monthly (GVM), NCUE is placed at 14th in the category of Liberal Arts and 8th among national universities. NCUE is second to National Taiwan Normal University in terms of teacher cultivation institutions.
