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Prof. Wen-Chang Chen assumed office as the President of NTU at the beginning of the year, receiving the baton to lead NTU further down the road to internationalization. At the end of March, he received delegations from Université Grenoble Alpes in France and Kyushu University in Japan. While these activities might appear to follow the tradition of NTU’s international academic exchanges, the seeds of change have been planted.

Change Starts with Integration

President Chen said that in the past, exchanges among partner universities were focused on faculty collaboration programs, dual degree programs, and student exchange systems. “In the future, we will focus more on ‘collaboration in key areas.’” In addition, the focus of collaborations will shift from individual teachers to research groups and research centers with the top priority being an innovative way for cross-departmental communications.

“We have recently launched the ‘Creative Research Program on Cross-Disciplinary Exchange among Colleges,’ allowing the participants to publish innovative proposals based on the theme.” Compared to previous intercollegiate exchanges that often remained limited to individual presentations without further collaboration, President Chen’s goal is to utilize these exchange opportunities to incubate new sparks of academic thinking through brainstorming sessions. President Chen said that NTU’s advantage lies in its comprehensive range of academic disciplines, making it possible to develop innovative research, such as integrating the social sciences with information technology.

Developing Distinctive Research by Connecting Local Resources with Global Issues

President Chen has been actively promoting “Distinctive Research at the Yunlin Campus” since last May, as well as facilitating industry-academia collaborations by leveraging resources from the Yunlin Branch of NTU Hospital, the Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing and offshore wind energy research to develop long-term care for the elderly, green energy, and other key areas of international research. With the support of the Ministry of Education, President Chen also plans to have a training base constructed for talents in wind energy on the Yunlin Campus.

According to President Chen, it was difficult for Yunlin to attract international talents in the past due to a lack of suitable accommodations and facilities for the scholars. Nowadays, the Yunlin County government has had a BOT dormitory built next to the NTU Yunlin campus with 1,500 beds so that talents from all over the world can stay there together for further collaborations and talent cultivation.

Developing Cultural Experience and Spreading the NTU DNA

In addition to the faculty and scholars, President Chen hopes that international students at NTU can feel at home. Rather than building a bilingual environment, he encourages students to share each other’s cultures so that they may better integrate into the life at NTU. “Once you have studied at NTU, you will always be an NTUer!” President Chen believes that even after international students return to their home countries to work, “they have already acquired the NTU DNA!” The so-called NTU DNA refers to the memories and appreciation that students hold in their hearts from their time studying at NTU. When they share these experiences with friends in their hometowns, it also expands the visibility of NTU. As this “NTU DNA” spreads across the world, it will create more interest and opportunities for future exchanges.

“The University also enhances the promotion of exchanges with students from renowned international universities, including mutual participation in forums and various activities organized by students from both sides. This facilitates direct student-to-student communication and interaction. Student exchanges are not limited to forums. I hope that there will also be sports or cultural exchanges among our partner universities!” President Chen affirms that the ultimate goal of these exchanges lies in the increased mutual understanding of learning goals between both sides. “These experiences help the students to decide what they would like to do in the future.” President Chen’s face lit up with a smile when talking about student affairs, his speech quickening with his rising enthusiasm. He is ready to showcase NTU to the world as an international talent hub that is friendly, diverse, and rooted in the local community.