Leiden University Visits in Hopes of Enhancing Exchange
NTNU and Leiden University in the Netherlands have been cooperating for a number of years. On April 16th, Leiden University’s president, Carel J.J.M. Stolker, and vice president, H.W. te Beest, paid a visit to NTNU. After talks with NTNU President Kuo-en Chang, Stolker and te Beest toured the entire NTNU campus on Heping E. Road.
Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. Renowned in the humanities and natural sciences, Leiden University was ranked 74th in the world overall according to the 2013 QS World University Rankings. NTNU and Leiden University have already worked closely together for 17 years. More than two hundred students have participated in exchanges between the two universities, creating a wide range of opportunities for global exchange.
President Stolker stated that NTNU has a very comprehensive Mandarin training system. As a result, exchange students from Leiden University at NTNU achieve very good results. Currently, the main areas of exchange between the two universities are in the humanities. Stolker hopes to add more exchange in the sciences, an area in which NTNU is developing quickly, but has yet to build a complete infrastructure.
In response, President Chang pointed out, “NTNU has more exchange students at Leiden University than any other university and it is our most important exchange partner. We hope to have opportunities to develop exchange with Leiden University in other fields.”
President Stolker was notably impressed when President Chang mentioned that NTNU has 8,000 international students, more than any other university in Taiwan, and that this year is the NTNU Mandarin Training Center’s 60th anniversary. President Chang went on to say that after this visit, NTNU and Leiden University understand each other even better. This will lead to even more opportunities for international exchange in the future. NTNU students and faculty should take full advantage of these coming opportunities.