Chung-Ang University Visits NTNU, Shares Recent Development
A delegation led by Chung-Ang University President Prof. Sang-Gue Park arrived at National Taiwan Normal University on 8 August. It was the first in-person visit by CAU since the lifting of pandemic prevention measures, and the visitors were warmly greeted by NTNU President Cheng-Chih Wu. The two partner institutions discussed possibilities for future collaboration through their respective developments in recent years.
Chung-Ang University was founded in 1916. A prestigious comprehensive private university, the School of Performing Arts and Media at CAU is especially prominent in shaping Korean pop culture; notable alumni include Soo-Hyun Kim, Shin-Hye Park, and numerous other well-known artists. In addition, Chung-Ang University excels in the fields of bio-engineering, English language and literature, and imaging. Ranked among the top ten universities in Korea, CAU is selected for the Brain Korean 21st Century (BK21) Program, a Korean government initiative to cultivate outstanding scholars.
Other members of the CAU delegation included Vice Provost for International Affairs Prof. Hyungil Harry Kwon; Mr. Jin Park, Director for the Office of the President; and Mr. Jeongmin Lee, Deputy Director for International Affairs. NTNU Vice President for International Affairs Yi-De Liu; Associate Vice President for International Affairs Hsiu-Mei Hsieh; and Head of Global Academic Collaborations Kao-Ming Lin also attended the meeting. Among the topics discussed were student exchange and AI research.
Prof. Liu shared that NTNU has 32 sister schools in Korea. Therefore, Korea holds a primary position for NTNU’s international exchange development. Dr. Liu’s most recent visit to Korea was in June, when he and his team took part in the Incheon Education Exhibition and visited Sun Yat-Sen Memorial High School, an overseas Chinese school in Incheon. Besides expanding NTNU's exchanges in Korea, Dr. Liu encourages more Korean students to come study at NTNU.
President Wu informed the CAU delegation of the NTU System, National Taiwan Normal University’s alliance with National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. The three-university alliance provides exchange students to NTNU with diverse course options and extensive Chinese language learning resources. In 2019, before the pandemic, 59 NTNU students were studying as exchange students in Korea while 27 Korean students were studying in Taiwan. With hope, this robust student exchange relationship between Korea and Taiwan will resume as borders reopen.
Neither university had stood idle while international exchanges were being hindered. In 2022, NTNU completed the construction of a new student dormitory so that the success rate of student housing applications can be increased to 95% based on recent application numbers. In addition, the University is committed to expanding the number of courses taught in English (EMI), which is currently about 12% of all offered courses. The Foreign Language Education Division at NTNU periodically organizes English enrichment activities, and the Center for Academic English provides English language instruction for undergraduate to master and doctoral students as well bilingual EMI training for faculty.
Meanwhile, CAU founded the Department of Artificial Intelligence in 2021 and is actively exploring various opportunities for international research collaboration. Prof. Kwon shared that CAU attended an AI conference in Hungary in July and invites NTNU to participate in similar international conferences to encourage research exchanges and academic progress between the two universities. This aim is can also be supported by free tuition and other resources offered through the BK21 Program. As a direct match for areas of future collaboration, NTNU has established the College of Interdisciplinary Industry Academia Innovation just this year. This new College specializes in AI research and every aspect of AI development for future academia and industry.
The meeting between the delegation from Chung-Ang University and representatives of National Taiwan Normal University marks a step forward in relations between the two partner institutions. NTNU President Wu expressed his hope for deeper cooperation and CAU President Park responded that he will work to bring the two universities closer together.