National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) and the University of the East (UE) in the Philippines have maintained a strong partnership since formally establishing a sister-school relationship in 2014. On November 3rd, the President of the UE, Dr. Zosimo M. Battad, and the Director of their International Office, Dr. Darwin M. Guianan, visited NPUST to renew the sister-school agreement and discuss future cooperation. Professor Shang-Min Ma, Vice President for Educational Affairs, represented NPUST at the signing ceremony, which was witnessed by Dean Tien-Chien Chen of the College of Engineering, Professor Kuo-Pin Chuang of the Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, and Mr. Shang-Han Tsai, Cooperation Division Director at the OIA. Both sides engaged in lively discussions regarding future cooperation and exchange models.
Vice President Shang-Min Ma extended a sincere welcome to the distinguished guests from the University of the East, noting that the signing of the MOU marked a new chapter in the friendship between the two universities. He expressed his anticipations for greater cooperation in research and academic exchange in the future, believing that this visit would spark new opportunities for collaboration.
President Dr. Zosimo M. Battad noted that in the past, several UE students had participated in short-term research and learning programs at NPUST. In addition to continuing the existing exchanges in the field of engineering, he expressed a desire to expand cooperation into new areas such as animal science and agricultural technology, considering the strong agricultural academic foundation of both institutions. He also extended his gratitude to NPUST for its warm hospitality.
Dr. Darwin M. Guianan, Director of the International Office at the University of the East, presented his institution’s international cooperation strategy and vision to those present for the occasion. He specifically highlighted their ongoing “English Learning and Cultural Experience Workshop”, which is dedicated to enhancing students’ language proficiency and cross-cultural communication skills. He expressed his hopes that in the future, UE and NPUST could jointly launch student exchanges and research internship programs to facilitate more substantive cooperation and experience sharing in the fields of engineering technology and animal science.
Following the signing, Vice-Dean Kun-Yu Liu of the Office of International Affairs led the visitors on a tour of the Smart Mechatronics Bachelor Degree Program facilities within the College of Professional Studies. While there, Director Hudson Hsu and Associate Professor Chih-hsien Kung showed the guests their industrial wiring practice area and demonstrated drone operations. Additionally, Assistant Professor Jing-Wu Dong, Assistant Professor Chung-Yuan Yang, and Lecturer Yi-Ling Chen took the opportunity to showcase some of their recent research achievements and highlight NPUST’s professional strengths in vocational education and the technical application of mechatronics. During the tour, Dr. Darwin M. Guianan expressed his intention to send students to NPUST for studies and exchanges in the future and looks forward to forging a closer cooperative relationship.
Established in 1946, the University of the East is one of the Philippines’ renowned private universities. With campuses in Manila and Caloocan, the university is well-known for its strengths in Business, Education, and Health Sciences. UE has long been dedicated to the promotion of international academic cooperation and student exchange, and has established itself as a key institution for higher education in the Philippines. NPUST will continue to build a close and stable sister-school partnership with UE, providing students from both sides with more diverse opportunities to engage in specialized knowledge acquisition and broaden their perspectives.
