Deputy Vice President for International Affairs Jiun-Huei Proty Wu and Manager Tzu-Yu Huang of the Office of International Affairs’s International Programs Division attended the 2016 Annual Conference and Expo of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Denver, Colorado, from May 29 to June 3.

Under the theme, “Building Capacity for Global Learning,” the conference provided an opportunity for NTU to expand international cooperation, promote summer programs, discuss faculty exchange programs and dual-degree opportunities, as well as enhance the quality of NTU’s current student exchange programs.  Deputy Vice President Wu also represented the university as a moderator and speaker, sharing NTU’s experience of implementing and reforming of its internationalization strategy.

The OIA officials held talks with the representatives of nearly 60 elite universities from around the world, including universities from Canada, the United States, Australia, France, Italy, and England.

The OIA has been active in designing a diverse range of short-term programs in recent years.  These programs, such as the 22 short-term summer programs of this year, have become the standard for many of Taiwan’s local universities.  As a result of these efforts, student enrollment in these programs has grown by over 30% each year for the past two years.

During the conference, many international universities expressed an interest in cooperating with NTU’s short-term curriculums.  Deputy Vice President Wu told the University of Melbourne that NTU could design a short-term Winter Plus Program that would fit the Australian university’s semester schedule.  Wu also worked with the University of South Carolina and University of British Columbia to arrange custom-designed summer programs, which are expected to begin in 2017.  

In addition, the OIA officials discussed the feasibility of a faculty exchange program and visiting research student program with France’s University of Bordeaux.  It also arranged a three-university cooperation program with Japan’s University of Tsukuba.

Moreover, Deputy Vice President Wu joined his counterparts from the University of Tsukuba and the University of Western Australia in delivering a speech called “Restructuring for Optimal Administration of Internationalization Efforts.”  NTU was the only Taiwanese university selected to deliver a speech, and Wu’s performance served to enhance the university’s international visibility and reputation.

NTU participated in the conference as part of a Taiwanese delegation that included the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan and 18 local universities.