WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 13, 2021) — Representatives of West Virginia University (WVU) and National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) met virtually last Thursday to sign an agreement regarding the implementation of Taiwan’s Huayu Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent Program (BEST). The program is supported by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, aiming to promote cooperative language education between Taiwan and the U.S. The agreement was signed by WVU President E. Gordon Gee and NSYSU President Dr. Ying-Yao Cheng, and witnessed by Deputy Representative Robin J. C. Cheng of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States(TECRO) in a virtual ceremony.
The agreement follows the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative in December 2020, which sought to expand mutual language education, student and instructor exchanges and foster the bilateral partnership. WVU is the first prestigious research university to collaborate with Taiwan in the state. This partnership will facilitate the development of cross-cultural relationships between students, educators and universities and create opportunities for both Taiwan and West Virginia.
The agreement was centered on the following items：study-abroad programs, undergraduate and graduate scholarships, internship opportunities, instructional training and recruitment, as well as the implementation of the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language. These efforts are hopeful to make the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (WLLL) at WVU a resourceful center for learning Mandarin in the State of West Virginia, and make NSYSU the primary Mandarin study-abroad site for WVU students.
The year of 2021 is the inaugural year of the program. The Education Division of TECRO appreciates that the Office of Global Affairs at WVU works closely with Dr. Amy S. Thompson, the WLLL Department Chair and Director of International Relations and Strategic Planning for Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Ching-Hsuan Wu, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Chinese Studies Program Coordinator, to enthusiastically recruit and prepare WVU students for this wonderful international learning opportunity. For the coming year of 2022, fifteen BEST scholarship recipients, who are currently Chinese Studies majors at WVU, will study abroad at NSYSU. Director Yuri Chih of Education Division was pleased with the contribution between Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Chih-Wen Kuo, and the great team of International Affairs, NSYSU and Associate Provost for International Relations, Dr. David Stewart, Associate Vice President, Dr. Amber Brugnoli and the executive members of Global Affairs, WVU and is confident that the collaboration will continue to be an enjoyable experience for both institutions.
President Gee shared with the ceremony attendees that learning Mandarin in Taiwan will be a life-changing experience for WVU students and is very pleased to see this new partnership. Meanwhile, President Cheng expressed his gratification to look forward to the solid friendship and multiple possibilities through upcoming bilateral exchanges. In her closing remark, Dr. Thompson commented that although the pandemic has posted difficulties for international collaborations, partnerships such as this one with NSYSU give her hope. Dr. Wu added that she is grateful for the collaboration opportunity with NSYSU, who has been kind to and supportive of WVU students, and that she is excited to welcome NSYSU students to attend the master’s programs at WVU.
The success of the virtual signing ceremony on December 9th, 2021 was a joint effort, and left all the participants feel confident that the partnership between WVU and NSYSU will be a fruitful experience.