NCUE recently established a partnership with Global Leadership University (GLU) of Mongolia. GLU is NCUE’s first partner university in Mongolia. Founder and President Otgonbat Barkhuu of GLU visited NCUE recently in the hope of establishing cooperation at various levels, including English and Chinese teaching training, and joint-degree programs. NCUE has been devoted to Chinese language education for overseas students for years. The cooperation between the two institutions may start with it since GLU has been implementing a policy that encourages students to learn Chinese and Korean, among others, to nurture a global mindset for all students.
A group of 15 from the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) visited NCUE to discuss future cooperation projects on the teacher training of Chinese independent high schools and sponsorship plans for disadvantaged students, including opening overseas in-service master’s programs and educational programs, conducting workshops for the principals of Chinese independent high schools, and offering scholarships for the students. With the cooperation experience in the past two years, NCUE President Yen-Kuang Kuo takes a positive stance towards the medium- and long-term cooperation with Dong Zong and NCUE is expected to try its best to help promote Chinese education in Malaysia.
On the first day of school, the Office of international and Cross-straits Affairs (OICA) hosted an orientation for the exchange students from Mainland China, Germany, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, the United States, and Spain. President Yen-Kuang Kuo delivered a speech in both Chinese and English, encouraging students to travel around Taiwan and expressing his wishes for a delightful learning journey of them at NCUE. He indicated that the students are welcome to contact OICA for assistance when in need.
The Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs and the Language Center hosted a Christmas party a few days before Christmas for international students. The party arranged for the students to participate in group games, mulled-wine making, gift exchange, etc. The students were particularly fond of making mulled wine that made them living far away from homes feel warm as mid-winter Christmas was approaching. With the assistance of enthusiastic international ambassadors and student buddies consisting of NCUE local students, the party was full of happiness. Many students celebrating Christmas overseas for the very first time enjoyed the warm festive atmosphere.
NCUE International Summer Camp came to an end. Not only did the 22 participants from five countries go to basic Chinese and culture classes, but they also personally experienced local cultures by visiting different spots and joining hands-on practice. NCUE “international ambassadors” offering assistance along the way developed a close bond with the campers. Many campers indicated that this camp is one of their best memories in life, and they look forward to visiting Taiwan again. It shows the Camp and the international ambassadors successfully fulfilled the mission of citizen diplomacy for Taiwan.
2018 Taiwan Higher Education Fair in Malaysia was held in the summer. NCUE President Yen-Kuang Kuo led a delegation to the event and visited local Chinese communities and businesses. In addition to exchanging views on the overseas program development, the international mobility enhancement of NCUE faculty and students, and the innovative talents cultivation for local industry, NCUE signed exchange and cooperation agreement with Sunway University. With International Office staff members’ efforts, NCUE fair booth attracted many students asking for study-related information, particularly the Guidance and Consulting program and Business Administration program.
NCUE international ambassadors consisting of local students led a few students from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) to visit some historical sites around Changhua, helping them experience the local culture and carrying out successful people-to-people diplomacy for Taiwan and NCUE. The experience of being international ambassadors recruited and trained by the Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) helps the members broaden their horizons and develop global mobility by participating in international guest receptions, the assistance of international students, and international exchange activities. This experience also becomes some of the students’ best memories in college.
NCUE and Chun Hwa Middle School (CHMS) in Brunei signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate the exchange of the two institutions. CHMS BOD Director, Mak Soon Seng, expressed his admiration for NCUE’s quality of education. He expects to enrich Brunei’s Chinese teaching resources by sending CHMS graduates and teachers to NCUE for further education, and introducing the expertise of special education from NCUE. This is NCUE’s first partnership established with Brunei’s educational institution. It is expected that the international reach of NCUE extends to more “New Southbound Policy” Countries.
The “2018 International Week” held by the Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs (OICA) will kick off with a lecture made by the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange on October 22. There will be daily events during the week till the 26th, including a series of lectures, multicultural activities, experience sharing of overseas study and interaction with overseas students. It will join the school’s anniversary carnival by showcasing global food cultures, providing opportunities for students to trying traditional dishes of various parts of the world.
The dual-degree programs offered by NCUE and California State University, Fresno (CSU, Fresno) are expected to extend to more departments and graduate institutes. Assistant Vice President for International Affairs, Sarah Lam, and the Assistant Professor in Physics, Yongsheng Gao of CSU, Fresno came to visit and discussed future cooperation with a few departments. Other issues, such as how to motivate students and teachers to study abroad, and how to shorten the duration of dual-degree studies were also involved. According to Dr. Lam, NCUE students in dual-degree programs could become a certified teacher in the U.S. by joining one-year teacher training after graduating from CSU, Fresno, enabling themselves more competitive in their careers.
