Elite Study in Taiwan Alumni Association founded in Aceh, Indonesia

The first Elite Study in Taiwan Alumni Association was officially founded in Aceh, Indonesia in May 2014. The inauguration ceremony was held at Hermes Palace Hotel in Aceh at 7:00pm on May 22, with the joint efforts of the Elite Study in Taiwan (ESIT) Program office and the Aceh Human

Resources Department. Distinguished guests from the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia, the ESIT office and Aceh government attended the ceremony and gave congratulatory speeches. Over forty alumni and guests participated. Dr. Farok Afero, an alumnus of National Taiwan Ocean University and a consultant at Aceh Ocean and Fisheries Office, was appointed the inaugural president of the new alumni association.

As well as linking up alumni in Aceh Province, the new association will create a network for exchanges between students from Aceh still in Taiwan and returned graduates, and between future potential students and Taiwan universities. They will be able to share details of different aspects of their Taiwan experience, including the wide range of academic programs there, campus and social life, and local culture. It is also hoped that the Alumni Association will further strengthen the educational cooperation between Taiwan and the Aceh government and will serve as a bridge between alumni and Taiwanese enterprises, thereby contributing to local development.

The ESIT Office was founded in 2008 under the auspices of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Dr. Wan-Lee Chen, the local ESIT Project leader, spoke at the ceremony about the development of cooperation between Taiwan and the Aceh government over the years, and about the outstanding achievements the alumni had accomplished after returning to their home country. These positive remarks received an enthusiastic response from everyone present.

Photo:Alumnus Mr. Haekal Azief Harihi with Dr. Wan-Lee Cheng from the ESIT program office