NTU 90: Stellar Gathering Sparkled with High Expectations and Achievements

The Office of International Affairs at NTU has filled this year’s event calendar with gala festivities. The month of November featured a flurry of symposiums, beginning with the Association of East Asian Research Universities (AEARU) and the Presidents’ Forum on November 14, followed by the “Campus in Campus” that NTU cohosted with the University of Tsukuba two days later. These events were graced by 175 participants, including 19 university presidents and 49 vice presidents, from 69 universities across 25 countries. Notably, over 20 of the institutions that sent delegates to NTU’s 90th anniversary celebration were ranked among the World’s Top 100 Universities.

Meanwhile, NTU’s strategic partners in the academic community, including the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Peking University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Universität Hamburg also sent representatives to NTU’s celebratory events.

The AEARU 43rd Board of Directors Meeting and 24th Annual General Meeting were attended by 42 representatives from 13 universities across five countries. The representatives included President Kyosuke Nagata (永田恭介) of the University of Tsukuba, President Hideo Ohno (大野英男) of Tohoku University, and President Yong-Hak Kim of Yonsei University.

The participants were treated to a nostalgic look back at some of the events hosted by the member universities in the past. As one of the founding members and incumbent vice-chairperson, NTU pushed for greater participation by its faculty and students in the various meetings hosted by other schools, including a seminar on environmental wellness organized by Tsinghua University and summer programs presented by Peking University and the University of Science and Technology of China.

This year, AEARU welcomed a new member into its fold: National Chiao Tung University (NCTU). Its membership was approved following active lobbying by NTU Interim President Tei-Wei Kuo (郭大維) and Vice President for International Affairs Luisa Shu-Ying Chang (張淑英). Together, they convinced fellow member universities to consider NCTU’s dominance in Taiwan's electronics, computer, and business sectors, given its strong leadership technology. At long last, NCTU became the 19th member of AEARU.

The Presidents’ Forum opened with remarks by NTU Interim President Tei-Wei Kuo and Minister of Science and Technology Liang-Gee Chen (陳良基). The two speakers shed light on the importance of the transregional and transnational exchanges of experience and insights in the current international climate. They also expressed high hopes for NTU to be a mover and shaker in the international higher education community.

The forum featured an array of speakers who explored ways to enable effective integration and globalization strategies. Dr. Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Global Strategies of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Susanne Rupp, Vice President of Universität Hamburg served as moderators. The speakers included: President Andrew Petter of the Simon Fraser University, President Lise Dumasy of ComUE Université Grenoble Alpes, President Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi of the University of Tehran, Chancellor Björn Kjerfve of the American University of Sharjah, President Hideo Ohno of Tohoku University, President Yong-Hak Kim of Yonsei University, President Heisook Kim of the Ewha Womans University of South Korea, President Eden Woon (翁以登) with Asian Institute of Technology, and President Way Kuo (郭位) of the City University of Hong Kong.

President Kyosuke Nagata of the University of Tsukuba, President Bernd Engler of the University of Tübingen, President Hideo Ohno of Tohoku University, and President Kazuya Masu (益 一哉) of the Tokyo Institute of Technology delivered congratulatory speeches at NTU’s anniversary celebration ceremony, tea party, and gala dinner. In their speeches, they acknowledged their longstanding, constructive bilateral partnerships with NTU. The University of Tsukuba went the extra mile in their acknowledgment, as 30 representatives from the school wore costumes emblazoned with the emblems of both universities and cheered heartedly for NTU.

Moreover, 37 university presidents and chancellors from 13 countries pre-recorded their congratulatory speeches. They were Chancellor Gene Block of the University of California at Los Angeles, President Santa Ono of the University of British Columbia, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Michael Spence of the University of Sydney, and President Juichi Yamagiwa (山極壽一) of Kyoto University. Lastly, Chancellor Henry T. Yang (楊祖佑) of the University of California at Santa Barbara, an alumnus of NTU, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to his beloved alma mater, and expected to see NTU grow and head towards a century of even greater excellence in both academic achievement and social service.

This year’s “Road to the World,” NTU’s Study Abroad Fair, was expanded in scope specifically for the anniversary celebration. Over a hundred booths were set up, and hundreds of exchange students thronged to the event.

The anniversary souvenir launched as part of SoNTU’s collection featured limited-edition canvas tote bags in various colors, adorned with NTU’s signature “school tree” – royal palm tree, made a wonderful gift to mark the occasion.

New exchange and partnership programs were initiated with several schools, as well, reflecting NTU’s growing influence in the higher education sector here in Taiwan and overseas.

This article is featured in No. 69 of NTU Highlights (December, 2018).