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New program gives Taiwanese students a taste of Berkeley
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Taiwanese undergraduates visiting Berkeley from National Chiao-Tung University were all ears at an orientation conducted by Lisa Pruitt (right), ME professor and associate dean of virtual learning and outreach education.
PEG SKORPINSKI PHOTO
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This fall 14 undergraduates from one of Taiwan’s top science and technology universities will spend the semester soaking up Berkeley’s special ambience and some of its EECS course offerings through a fledgling program intended to boost education through global cooperation.
The visitors—all honors students in the equivalent of their junior year—hail from National Chiao-Tung University (NCTU) in Hsinchu and are visiting as “out-of-state” University Extension students through concurrent enrollment. When they return to NCTU at the end of the semester, they will have with some solid Berkeley Engineering education and a positive cultural experience under their belts.
The arrangement is the first step in what is envisioned as a comprehensive program with a handful of world-class engineering and computer science universities in the Pacific Rim and India.
“This exchange will benefit Berkeley by further strengthening our reputation globally and by attracting the attention of top graduate students,” says Engineering Dean Richard Newton. “If the program is as successful as we believe it will be, future options include working together with universities at the graduate level and expanding our research relationships with international corporations.”
The program is funded by corporate and private supporters of NCTU, whose leaders hope it will have the long-term effect of advancing higher education efforts and institutions in their country. |
