Purdue University Visits NTNU, Deepens Collaborative Spirit
Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts and College of Engineering sent delegates to National Taiwan Normal University on 3 May, meeting with professors from NTNU’s College of Liberal Arts and College of Technology and Engineering to further develop their relationship as partner universities since last December’s official MOU signing.
Located in the state of Indiana, Purdue University has a student population of more than 40,000 and offers more than 210 majors. It is 127th in the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 129th in the QS World University Rankings, making it one of the top public universities in the United States.
The Purdue delegates were Dr. Wei Hong, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs; Dr. Joel Ebarb, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Jennifer William, Head of the School of Languages and Cultures; Dr. Elena Coda, Associate Head of the School of Languages and Cultures; Joe Tort, Associate Director of Global Education and Professional Practice at the College of Engineering; and Dr. William Sartore, Director of Global and Experiential Learning.
During the meeting, Professor Ebarb emphasized that Purdue University is not only renowned for its College of Engineering, but also has a robust College of Liberal Arts, which in recent years has responded agilely to technological needs by providing new interdisciplinary programs that, for example, integrates A.I. with the Department of Fine Arts and the Department of Philosophy. Professor Coda added that, at Purdue, literature and the humanities play a critical role in the advancement of science; they nurture and remind engineering students of their ethical responsibilities in their careers.
Meanwhile, NTNU’s College of Liberal Arts focuses on teacher training and cultural research, cultivating a multilingual learning environment through the EMI bilingual program and K-Café (Korean language exchange events). The faculty members of Purdue and NTNU considered proposals such as student exchange, summer courses, and dual degree academic programs. After classroom observation at the Mandarin Training Center, Professor Wei also shared her impression that MTC provides an unparalleled language learning environment through its small class size, interactive teaching, and sheer amount of practice time that MTC students undergo.
Following the meeting, the visiting delegates toured various centers and labs on NTNU campus to better understand its academic environment. The Purdue delegates commented that NTNU and Purdue share a great deal of overlap in academic pursuits and vision. Both universities look forward to the realization of many collaborations to come.