Penn State delegation visits conferences and University partners in Asia

From March 16 to 22, a delegation from Penn State traveled to Thailand and Taiwan to attend two conferences — the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and the Forum on Internationalization of Higher Education hosted by partner institution National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), and to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NTNU-Penn State partnership, originally signed in 1953.

Taiwan: Meeting Fulbright Taiwan and visiting Taipei Tech

The delegation, led by Roger Brindley, vice provost for Global, and Anna Marshall, associate director for Asia Partnerships, were then joined by Meredith Doran, director of the English for Professional Purposes and Intercultural Center (EPPIC) on a visit to Fulbright Taiwan and the National Taipei University of Technology (known as Taipei Tech). The delegation met with Randall L. Nadeau, executive director of Fulbright Taiwan, and his staff. Further discussion at Taipei Tech focused on hosting Penn State doctoral students in applied linguistics as trainers in "English as a Medium of Instruction" (EMI) in Taiwan, and sending Taiwan EMI lecturers to be trained at Penn State.

“EPPIC is thrilled to work with the dedicated faculty at Taipei Tech who are teaching a growing number of courses in EMI,” said Doran. “Our professional development programming for Taipei Tech faculty will focus on pedagogical concepts and research-based communication strategies that encourage active student engagement and increased confidence in using English for teaching and learning."

The Taipei Tech visit reciprocates a fall 2022 visit to Penn State by President Sea-Fue Wang. Wang and his leadership team of Tun-Wen Pai, dean for international affairs, and Yunhua Yang, dean of English, seek to deepen bilateral institutional collaborations between Penn State and Taipei Tech.

After the meeting, the Penn State – Taipei Tech Collaborative Seed Grant Program (funded by Taipei Tech, Penn State Global, and Penn State's Materials Research Institute) awarded three collaborative research projects, which began on April 15, 2023, and will last until May 15, 2024.

Celebrating 70 years of partnership with NTNU at the Forum on Internationalization of Higher Education

The National Taiwan Normal University, held a forum on the Internationalization of Higher Education inviting speakers from Penn State, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Burgundy, University of Glasgow, Sungkyunkwan University, Fulbright Taiwan, the British Council, Bureau Français de Taipei, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). A total of nearly 500 faculty and students attended the two-day conference.

The Penn State delegation of Brindley, Marshall, Doran, and On-cho Ng, head of the Asian Studies Department, presented at the forum. Brindley addressed status, challenges, opportunities, trends and strategies of international higher education in the United States, while Marshall delved into the roles of Penn State’s global partnerships in supporting the University’s mission. Doran’s presentation then explored approaches towards promoting faculty and student success in global English, and Ng presented pedagogies in teaching Chinese, internationalizing the curricula, and Penn State’s collaboration with NTNU through the Huayu Best Program.

Brindley shared that “the conference was a wonderful exchange of ideas from top institutions around the world and a fitting weight to commemorate 70 years a remarkable partnership between Penn State and NTNU.” He added, “Long may it continue!”