International Cooperation

On November 12, 2024 (Tuesday), representatives from Ibaraki University and National Taiwan Normal University gathered at the First Meeting Room in NTNU Main Campus to sign a university-wide memorandum of understanding and student exchange agreement. This ceremony is a momentous turn of events, following Ibaraki University’s previous visit to NTNU last June 2024 to discuss potential collaboration opportunities. In attendance from Ibaraki University were Dr. Hiroyuki Ota, President of Ibaraki University; Ms. Ashina Kikuchi, Executive for Diversity, International Affairs and SDGs; Dr. Chienwei Yeh, Special Advisor for the President, Cooperation with Asian and Oceania; Dr. Masashi Watanabe, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Education, and Ms. Yumiko Takeda, Head of International Exchange Division, Student Affairs Department, Center for Global Engagement. Also in attendance was Mr. Frank Yu-Lin Chen, Ministry of Education Department of International and Cross-strait Education, Second Education Secretary.

 

This delegation was welcomed by NTNU President Cheng-Chih Wu, Executive Vice President Frank Yung-Hsiang Ying, Associate Vice President Hsiu-Mei Hsieh for International Affairs, Associate Dean Joan Chiung-Huei Chang and Associate Administrative Secretary Chun-Chuan Chang of the College of Liberal Arts. President Wu strongly welcomed Ibaraki University as a university-level partner, and highlighted that NTNU has been working with 59 Japanese partner institutions to create mutually beneficial opportunities for both Japanese and Taiwanese faculty and students. President Ota reciprocated this enthusiasm by acknowledging previous collaboration between both universities’ College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and expressed anticipation for more opportunity doors to open through the newly signed MOU and SEA agreements.

 

After the signing segment of the ceremony, NTNU President Wu announced that the 2025 Taiwan-Japan University Presidents’ Forum hosted by the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) will be in Kumamoto, Japan. As chairperson of FICHET, he officially requested Ibaraki University’s attendance to the Forum happening next July. EVP Frank Ying kickstarted the discussion for future collaboration opportunities. Among the topics discussed was future learning collaboration opportunities between NTNU College of Liberal Arts and Ibaraki University College of Humanities and Social Sciences. NTNU Associate Dean Chang of the College of Liberal Arts and Ibaraki University Professor Yeh expressed hopes for a deeper conversation regarding the topic during the next meeting.

 

Amidst conversation, it was brought up that this visit is Ibaraki University President Ota’s first sighting of the NTNU campus, resulting in an impromptu campus tour led by EVP Frank Yang. The meeting concluded with both universities having high hopes for the future and a handful of architectural trivia from EVP Frank Ying.