VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF AL AZHAR, INDONESIA

On July 10, 2023, President Chen-Jai Lee hosted a delegation of three people from Indonesia's University of Al Azhar (UAI), including Prof. Dr. Asep Saefuddin, the President of UAI, Mr. Mohamad Ghozali Moenawar, the Head of Office of International Affairs and Ms. Faradesiva Angger, the project assistant of TIUL Jakarta Branch. Also present at the meeting were several representatives from NTPU, including Prof. Dar-Hsin Chen, Vice President and Director of Taiwan-Indonesia Urban and Land Research Center (TIUL), Prof. Wann-Ming Wey, Dean of International College of Sustainability Innovations (ICSI) and co-host of TIUL, Prof. Wen-I Lin, Dean of Office of International Affairs (OIA), Dr. Chen-Yu Chiang, Supervisor of Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Collaboration Development (CieiD) of Office of Research and Development, Dr. Peter Kwok-Fai Law of Department of History, College of Humanities and Dr. Hsuan-Chang Shih, the co-host of TIUL.

President Lee mentioned that NTPU received a grant from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in August 2020 to carry out the "Overseas Research Center for Urban Environmental Changes and Land Resource Management in Taiwan and Indonesia." In 2021, NTPU entered into a cooperation agreement with UAI, and the two Universities collaboratively established the "Taiwan-Indonesia Urban and Land Research Center (TIUL)." Since its establishment, the center has actively cooperated with remarkable achievements. Lee was enthusiastic about the prospect of continuing and broadening the scope of exchanges in the future.

President Saefuddin expressed his unwavering support for bilateral cooperation and exchanges. He emphasized that they would actively seek scholarships to facilitate student exchanges between the two universities. He firmly believed that both institutions would witness a significant expansion of diversified cooperation. Prof. Dar-Hsin Chen explained that despite facing the challenges posed by the pandemic after signing the agreement, both sides remained resolute in conducting numerous joint lectures online. As circumstances improved, they have recently resumed in-person visits and exchanges. Looking ahead, the further deepening of cooperation will revolve around essential areas such as coastal flooding and subsidence modeling, real estate and urban development, urban tourism development, and community resilience.

Prof. Wen-I Lin warmly introduced NTPU to the esteemed guests by presenting a recent campus life video featuring foreign faculty and students, which was released by OIA. He expressed his sincere desire for UAI students to consider NTPU as a destination for exchanges or degree programs. As a result of this positive engagement, the two universities have reached an agreement to sign a student exchange program. This collaborative initiative will offer three exchange student quotas annually, fostering a meaningful academic exchange between NTPU and UAI.