MANKATO — Leaders from Minnesota State University met with visitors from the National Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan Friday as the two schools prepare to begin a new faculty and student exchange program.
The meeting offered both universities the chance to discuss what type of programming will support students and faculty studying abroad.
Will Coghill-Behrends, MSU dean of global education, said students should hopefully be able to start traveling in the next semester or two.
He said he hopes Taiwanese students become part of the community while they’re here.
“Likewise, the hope is that when our students go to Taiwan they have that sort of intimate learning experience that exposes them to notions of global diversity,” he said.
“It gives them opportunities to practice those skills that we understand to be a part of this idea of global citizenship. Understanding multiple perspectives, understanding the way that our histories are shaped and influenced by each other.”
While this program is new, the two universities have had a Memorandum of Understanding since 2019.
National Kaohsiung Normal University has a wide range of programs, from education and humanities to arts and technology.
Chen-Cheng Chun, the university’s dean of the Office of International Affairs, said he thinks it’s always a good idea if students get to experience studying abroad.
“They can learn from different perspectives about how people run the world… how people eat, how people speak,” he said.
Coghill-Behrends said the program will also provide opportunities for faculty.
“Faculty have lots of opportunities to engage with transnational research, collaborations. There are often federal grants available for collaborations that look at various topics sort of embedded within the disciplines. When it comes to faculty exchange, we sort of look at content area or disciplinary majors or disciplinary areas to look at where some of those overlaps are,” he said.