Tamkang University and Mapúa University in the Philippines signed an academic exchange and student exchange agreement, officially establishing a sister school partnership. The signing ceremony took place on November 26 at 10:40 AM in HC405 of the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center, with President Huan-Chao Keh and Mapúa University President Dodjie S. Maestrecampo representing the two universities. Attendees included Vice President for International Affairs Hsiao-Chuan Chen, Dean of the College of Science Tsenge-Lien Shih, Dean of International Affairs Chien-Mu Yeh, Chair of the Department of Mathematics Chih-Chun Tsai, Chair of the Department of Physics Cheng-Hao Chuang, Chair of the Department of Chemistry Chih-Hsin Chen, Chief of the International and Cross-Strait Exchange Section Hsinying AC Chu, Mapúa University’s Director of International Linkages Dr. Delia B. Senoro, and Dr. Jacque Lynn F. Gabayno, Head of the Research Section in the Department of Physics.

President Keh welcomed President Dodjie S. Maestrecampo and his delegation to Tamkang University, introducing the university’s founding principles and unique characteristics. He expressed his hopes for creating more opportunities for exchanges between the two universities and extended a warm invitation for them to attend Tamkang’s 75th-anniversary celebration next year. Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo remarked that it was an honor for Mapúa University, a private university with a long history like Tamkang, to form this partnership. He emphasized their shared vision of enhancing academic achievements and expressed confidence in the mutual growth of faculty and students.

The discussion session, chaired by Prof. Hsiao-Chuan Chen, featured an introduction by Prof. Cheng-Hao Chuang about the Department of Physics’ teaching resources and its newly launched “English-Taught Master’s Program in Semiconductor Quantum Detection.” The program, aligned with the Ministry of Education’s International Industrial Talents Education Special Program, is designed to nurture talent based on industry needs. It receives support from both the government and industry to attract international students to study and work in Taiwan. Both universities discussed the implementation of this program.

In addition to the sister school agreement, the delegation visited the TSMC Museum of Innovation, the National Nano Device Laboratories, and the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center to gain insights into Taiwan's current developments in integrated circuits, nanotechnology, and synchrotron radiation. Campus visits included the Gallery of Tamkang History & The Founder Dr. Clement C.P. Chang’s Memorial Hall, the Department of Physics Advanced Quantum Computing Research Center, the Advanced Materials and Energy Science Laboratory, the Nanotechnology Laboratory, and the Energy Materials Laboratory. They also toured the Chemistry Department’s Precision Instrumentation Center and laboratories in the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science to learn more about Tamkang’s teaching resources.

Mapúa University is Tamkang University’s third sister school in the Philippines. Established in 1925, it is the largest engineering school in the Philippines, renowned for its programs in engineering and architecture. It is ranked 6th in the Philippines by the Webometrics Rankings of World Universities (WRWU).

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