Visiting Delegation Led by Kyushu University President Strengthens Strategic Partnership with NTNU
As pandemic restrictions ease, in-person international academic exchanges may resume as before. On 30 March, a delegation from Kyushu University led by President Tatsuro Ishibashi came to National Taiwan Normal University and met with NTNU President Cheng-Chih Wu as well as other faculty members. The two parties held discussions on further academic cooperation and student exchange. Moreover, the guests were able to attend an important music performance and tour five campus landmarks, all the while sharing ideas during the entire experience.
Founded in 1903, Kyushu University is one of Japan’s original imperial universities and a top research university in Japan. The partnership between NTNU and Kyushu University began in 2016 and developed into strategic partners and sister schools in 2018, in addition to various official agreements such as the signing of a memorandum of academic cooperation and student exchange program.
Besides President Ishibashi, the Kyushu University delegates included Dr. Kenji Iwata, Executive Vice President for International Affairs; Dr. Natalie Konomi, Vice President for International Affairs and Diversity; Mr. Takaya Ito, Head of Secretarial Section; and Ms. Saori Suenaga, Senior Project Manager of International Affairs Department. NTNU took its role as host very seriously, inviting the delegates to the heritage building that houses the Auditorium to join the audience of faculty and students in the College of Music's 'Exceed 101,' the opening performance of the 2023 NTNU Music Festival and enjoy a musical feast to commence their visit.
National Taiwan Normal University has fostered numerous international-level athletes, and gymnastics gold medalist Shi-Hang Weng introduced the guests to the gymnastics room that produced Chia-hung Tang, “the Asian Elvis Presley.” In order to establish a holistic system for cultivating talents, the NTNU gymnastics team recruits young athletes between the ages of 6 and 15 and trains with them 3 to 6 hours a day. The visitors were then guided by Dr. Ho-Seng Wang, Dean of the College of Sports and Recreation, to see the newly opened Smart Fitness Center in the Natatorium. They were able to observe a part of student life as a physical education class for students in the Department of Civic Education and Leadership happened to be in session at that time.
The fourth stop for the Kyudai delegation was the Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics (RCCCR). Dr. Yuan-Feng Chang, who received her PhD in Conservation from Tokyo University of the Arts, and Department of Fine Arts Professor Cheng-Huang Lin, who did his PhD studies at Kyushu University, provided the tour of the Center completely in Japanese. They explained that the Center’s role is like that of a hospital for cultural artifacts and precious artworks. The visiting faculty were able to observe as restoration workers repaired artifacts. Kyushu University professors expressed immense interest and a great deal of questions regarding how to incorporate scientific testing to extend the life of artifacts and artworks.
The six-year relationship between Kyushu University and NTNU includes 15 joint academic research projects in the Colleges of Science, Education, Management, and Technology and Engineering as well as a university-level interdisciplinary bilateral academic forum and administrative benchmarking in 2019. During this visit, faculty members of the two universities held a seminar in Conference Hall I of the Administration Building. NTNU representatives included Dr. Ching-Min Cheng, Dean of the College of Technology and Engineering; Dr. Jein-Shan Chen, Dean of the College of Science; Dr. Wang Ho-Seng, Dean of the College of Sports and Recreation; Dr. Yi-De Liu, Vice President for International Affairs; Secretary General An-Pan Lin of the President’s Office; and Dr. Min-Ping Kang, Director of Public Affairs.
According to Dr Jein-Shan Chen, both universities plan to restart the interdisciplinary higher education forum in November or December of this year with the Colleges of Science, Education, and Technology & Engineering as the University’s main focus. Kyushu University delegates responded positively by extensively considering their participating departments and schedule of events. The visit concluded as the presidents of Kyushu University and NTNU exchanged gifts to affirm their friendship.