Some of the dignitaries attending the Taiwan Night on March 3

A delegation from Taiwan made its inaugural appearance at the 2025 Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) Annual Conference which took place from March 2 to March 5 in Houston, Texas. Professor Wu Cheng-Chih 吳正己, the chairperson of FICHET—the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan—led a delegation of representatives of FICHET, Fulbright Taiwan, and from seven Taiwanese universities—National Taiwan University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Chi Nan University, National Dong Hwa University, Taipei Medical University, Kaohsiung Medical University, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech)—to take part in the conference to encourage deeper Taiwan-U.S. and global educational partnerships.

The AIEA Annual Conference is a major event that brings together international education leaders from around the world. This year, nearly 1,000 participants from over 50 countries gathered to exchange fresh ideas and share practical tips on international education. The conference theme, Building Bridges: Leading Internationalization in a Changing World, highlighted the need for global connections in today's evolving landscape.

During the conference, Professor Liu Yi-De 劉以德, Vice President for International Affairs at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) joined Sonia Feigenbaum, Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Chief International Officer at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, in a panel discussion. They shared accounts of NTNU and UT Austin's successful experiences in alumni engagement and fundraising strategies in a session well-attended by international partners in the U.S. and other countries.

Andrea Yang 楊淑雅, Director of the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston gave a brief outline of higher learning in Taiwan during a Meet with the International Delegation session, and many international educators and education professionals interacted with representatives from the seven universities.

The Education Division, the University of St. Thomas, and E&M Foundation organized a Taiwan Night networking dinner on March 3, inviting senior administrators from more than 30 universities around the United States to further foster strong and dynamic international education cooperation between Taiwan and the United States. The dignitaries taking part included Don Wang, President of E&M Foundation; Lisa Montoya, Vice Provost of the University of Texas at San Antonio; Fr. Dempsey Rosales-Acosta, acting president of the University of St. Thomas; Yvonne Hsiao 蕭伊芳, Director-General of TECO in Houston; Dr. Sonia Feigenbaum, Associate Provost of the University of Texas at Austin; FICHET chairperson Professor Wu Cheng-Chih; Dr. Randy Kluver, Associate Provost and Dean at Oklahoma State University; Education Division Andrea Yang (shown left to right in the photo); Dr. Hans Stockton,  Director of International Studies at the University of St. Thomas; and Dr. Leigh Poole, AIEA Secretary.

In her opening remarks, Director-General Yvonne Hsiao warmly welcomed everyone and spoke of the importance of the close educational ties between the U.S. and Taiwan. She encouraged the international educators and education professionals attending to talk amongst themselves about the potential for closer relationships, expanding international collaboration, and bolstering educational ties that will contribute to long-term global development.