FCU Establishes “Taiwan Education Center” in Malaysia

In an effort to increase the number of foreigners studying in Taiwanese universities, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is now actively promoting Chinese language courses in overseas institutions. In addition, MoE is urging bilateral educational exchanges and advanced academic research collaboration between Taiwanese and foreign universities. In this regard, MoE is encouraging Taiwanese universities to establish “Taiwan Education Centers” at overseas locations. In 2012, in order to create an overseas educational presence, to provide excellent bilateral opportunities for higher education, and to promote Chinese language and culture, FCU applied for and obtained the right to establish a Taiwan Education Center in Malaysia. The Center’s creation is due in no small measure to the efforts and leadership of Zhong-Ming Chang, Chairman of FCU’s Board of Governors, and Cheng-Shu Kao, Vice Chairman of the FCU Board, together with Ms. Tiffany Yu, Dean of the Office of International Affairs, Chris Lee, Director of the International Students Office, De-Zhao Peng, director of the FCU Alumni Liaison and Job Placement Office, and Ms. Mei-Jin Chen, who hosted a press event in Kuala Lumpur on December 13^th to promote the establishment of the Taiwan Education Center in Malaysia.

At the press event, Chairman Chang not only explained the business model of the Taiwan Education Center in Malaysia, but also held a small ceremony to announce the Center’s principal consultants and chief executive. In order to handle each item of business, Chang hired quality individuals: Dr. Chuah Hean Teik, President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Di-Gang Yao, from the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities, and Dr. Zhong-Cheng Ding, Chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Taipei School, are the Center’s consultants while Qiu-Nan Ma, from FCU’s Malaysia Alumni Committee, is the CEO of the Center. Vice Director of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Kuala Lumpur, Duo-Ming Zhu, stated that, with the support of the FCU Malaysia Alumni Committee, the Taiwan Education Center would effectively bring about educational opportunities.

MoE has set out a number of the reasons for establishing Taiwan Education Centers: the recruitment of students seeking higher education in Taiwan, the establishment of overseas Chinese language and culture programs, the creation of a bilateral educational exchange mechanism that will facilitate international research, promotion of academic exchanges and other educational opportunities, as well as the holding of Chinese language proficiency and educational authentication tests. The Taiwan Education Center in Malaysia not only reveals FCU’s internationalization efforts, but also demonstrates the benefits of maintaining academic ‘links’ with overseas schools, as these links deepen the cooperative educational relationship that exist between Taiwan and Malaysia. In order to maintain this process of internationalization, FCU will continually expand its international educational opportunities.