The 1st Taiwan-Maryland Higher Education Conference Marks a Milestone for International Educational Cooperation

Deputy Minister of Education Pi-twan Huang attended, accompanied by Acting Director-General Julie Chiu from the Department of International and Cross-strait Education, and was invited to make opening remarks. Deputy Minister Huang expressed appreciation to MHEC and applauded all the participants for their commitment to working together to meet the challenges higher education faces. She hoped that the conference would provide a useful platform for both sides to develop more win-win cooperative programs, and in conclusion, proposed that a follow-up conference be held in Taiwan.

The key topics of discussion were Overviews of Maryland and Taiwan Higher Education Systems, Taiwan-Maryland Educational Partnership Experiences, and Exploring Taiwan-Maryland Campus Collaboration Possibilities. Ideas were exchanged and possible collaborations were discussed.

FICHET (Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan) signed an MOU with the Maryland Independent College and University Association, and the National University of Tainan signed an MOU with Salisbury University, and Soochow University signed an MOU with Towson University, all witnessed by Deputy Minister Huang.

The Taiwan delegation organized by FICHET comprised representatives of Asia University, Kaohsiung Medical University, Nan Hua University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National University of Tainan, Soochow University, Taipei Medical University Tamkang University, Tunghai University, and the Education Division of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.A.

Dr. Danette G. Howard, MHEC’s Secretary of Higher Education, wrote to the Education Division, expressing appreciation to the Taiwanese delegation for sharing their expertise and experiences. Dr. Howard admires Taiwan’s higher education, and wrote that she was pleased that “this event was truly a success and marks the beginning of an important relationship.”