NTU president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔)

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Faced with sliding international rankings and falling competitiveness, National Taiwan University (NTU) president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) is proposing that the university "internationalize" by offering students more exchange and international dual-degree programs.

Speaking exclusively with CNA, Kuan said that his strategy for internationalization is not aimed at simply improving rankings or securing more funding.

Kuan's proposal is aimed at re-molding some of the core values of the university that he believes are holding students back.

According to the president-elect, "Taiwan's problem has been thinking that it knows everything," a mentality that does not work in an increasingly globalized world.

As such, the first thing NTU needs to do is to "hang onto something or risk falling from a cliff" and that involves partnering with renowned international universities, he said.

The education at these institutions will restore the confidence of NTU students, equipping them with the skills they need to actively discover problems and resolve them, Kuan continued.

This means more exchange opportunities and more dual-degree programs with overseas universities so that NTU students have the chance to venture outside their campus in Taipei City, he explained.

The university will also provide financial aid for students who need it to take advantage of such opportunities for overseas study.

Kuan has previously mentioned a plan to establish an international center at NTU, on Xuzhou Road in Taipei, dedicated to deepening the university's collaboration with renowned academic institutions overseas.

(By Hsu Chen Chi-chung and Kuan-lin Liu)
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