State University of New York at Fredonia Starts the New Year at NTNU
On January 2, Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. David Starrett of State University of New York at Fredonia became the first visitor to National Taiwan Normal University for 2024. SUNY-Fredonia has been in collaborations with NTNU’s Department of Taiwan Culture, Languages and Literature, and more developments are expected for this coming year.
NTNU President Cheng-Chih Wu, Vice President for International Affairs Yi-De Liu, and Taiwanese Literature Professor Nikky Lin met with Dr. Starrett, who was accompanied by his wife and nephew-in-law Dr. Kuan-Ju Chen. In fact, Dr. Chen is the Senior Liaison of the Asia-Pacific Universities Consortium at the University of Guam. As a partner institution of NTNU, UoG and Dr. Nikky Lin has continued to work together in showcasing indigenous writings and art. With hope, similar exhibits can be held to further promote exchanges of Taiwanese and New York writers and artists.
Dr. Starrett shared that SUNY-Fredonia will plan to celebrate its 200-year anniversary in 2026. Established by New York residents as a regional center for teacher training, it is now a comprehensive university with a solid liberal arts foundation. Numerous alumni of its School of Music have won Grammy awards. SUNY-Fredonia also actively encourages its students to experience diverse cultures by offering short-term study abroad opportunities. In recent years, SUNY-Fredonia students have assisted in community health care programs in Central America as examples of their study abroad experiences.
President Wu welcomes SUNY-Fredonia students to consider studying abroad in Taiwan and at NTNU, where international students can receive up to six hours a week of free Chinese language learning instruction at the world-renowned Mandarin Training Center. NTNU also frequently holds bilingual community events for more interactions between both international and local students.