By Christian Schoppmeyer
Ahmet Faruk ISIK

A visiting delegation from Paul Valéry University of Montpellier (UPVM) was cordially received on campus on May 3 2019. Spearheaded by UPVM President Prof. Dr. Patrick Gilli, the group of French representatives engaged in fruitful discussions with NCCU’s President Prof. Dr. Ming-Cheng Kuo (郭明政). Prime interest from both sides is to establish a joint Chinese Language Program, a Sinology Program, and Exchange Programs for students and professors.

The meeting depicted quite a special occasion, given the exceptionally long history of the Paul Valéry University of Montpellier. UPVM President Gilli pointed out in his introductory remarks that the institution was; in fact, founded by Pope Nicolas IV in the year 1289. Besides its old age (and membership in the Coimbra Group), UPVM also impresses with its excellence in social sciences, humanities, arts, and communication.

Quite similarly, NCCU is being known for representing one of Taiwan’s flagship universities in humanities and social sciences. While delivering a brief exposition of NCCU’s interesting history to the guests from abroad, President Kuo (郭明政) also highlighted the immense benefits graduates from NCCU can enjoy. That is, as they are most sought after, especially in Taiwan’s private sector. Factors that have led to this favorable situation include the university’s distinguished performance and a well-established reputation, which have both been developed in the course of several decades in the past.

Hence, in light of remarkably similar academic profiles, NCCU and UPVM representatives noted the great potential for future collaborations in various fields. One of these areas of cooperation has been identified within the field of Sinology/Chinese Studies. Joined by a delegation from the Ministry of Education, NCCU’s Vice Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Dr. Jui-sung Yang, Assistant Professor of Diplomacy Dr. Cho-hsin Su, and the Director of the EU Research Center Dr. Tai-lin Chang, both sides therefore discussed the idea of establishing a large-scale joint Sinology Ph.D. program.

President Gilli also underlined UPVM’s great interest in amplifying their partnerships in the Mandarin-speaking regions. President Kuo in this regards mentioned that with the help of the Ministry of Education, National Chengchi University will provide 2-3 scholarships for outstanding Ph.D. Students and Researchers within the field of Sinology/Chinese Studies.

Such a move will undoubtedly further increase NCCU’s large network of French sister universities and partners. Currently, National Chengchi University is hosting an impressive number of nearly 100 international students from France on campus. President Kuo further used the opportunity to promote the great freedom Taiwan offers with respect to academic research and encouraged even more students from abroad to study at NCCU. A decision which, according to President Kuo, does not only benefit students with respect to their academic development, but also in terms of gaining more life experience.

While NCCU attracts large numbers of international students in Taiwan, likewise UPVM puts great emphasis on connecting the university with the world. Approximately 15% of UPVM’s student body consists of international students. Even higher numbers of international students are being reached within their respective PhD programs, which amount to an international student rate of around 30%.

As both universities have thus set a clear focus on internationalization, NCCU President Kuo shared his vision of a multi-functional program based on the various international perspectives of NCCU’s partners, such as France, Vietnam and others. This program then may provide the opportunity to study at three different campuses, allowing enrolled students to stay in each country for the duration of one semester. Thus, despite NCCU and UPVM’s long traditions, both institutions excel in embracing modern education as well as an international and intercultural approach to learning.