University Al-Azhar Indonesia (UAI) and National Taipei University (NTPU) have created many fruitful implementations since the first day of their initial collaboration back in 2021. Some of the highlights are Sustainable Real Estate and ESG in the Built Environment Online Workshop, A research entitled,” Environmental Pressures & Upper-middle Class Resilience in Jakarta (Michal G. from NTPU & Yuherina G. from UAI), International Lecture on Innovation and IT Role in Tackling Covid 19 Pandemic, and especially for the opening of Taiwan-Indonesia Urban Environment Change & Land Resource Management Research Center (TIUL). Taking those as crucial prospects to contribute to the world’s quality of education, the representatives of UAI who are Prof. Dr. Ir. Asep Saefuddin, M.Sc (Rector), Mohamad Ghozali Moenawar, Lc., M.M. (Head of Office of International Affairs), and Faradesiva Angger (Officer of TIUL in Jakarta) fulfilled the invitation of NTPU to visit Taiwan on Monday (10/7).
During the conference, all the UAI’s delegations were welcomed by Dr. Chen-Jai Lee, (The President), Prof. Chen, Dar-Hsin (The Vice President and Project Host of TIUL), Prof. Wen-I Lin (Dean of Office of International Affairs Professor, Graduate Institute of Urban Planning Ph.D, King’s College London), Prof. Chen-Yu Chiang (Supervisor of Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Collaboration Development (CieiD), Prof. Wann-Ming, Wey (Dean of ICSI), Dr. Shih, Hsuan-Chang (Co-Director of TIUL), and Dr. Peter Kwok Fai-Law (Lecturer of Chinese Language & History Department) at IF 1F, Administration Building.
Dr. Chen-Jai Lee and Prof. Asep agreed that NTPU and UAI have to collaborate face to face now to make it more advanced. The evolutions that the two educational institutions need to take are planning for a dual-degree program, innovative research, and student along with lecture exchange. The Exchange of lecturers in teaching in the classroom can boost in building new perspectives and insights with co-teaching by mixed lectures both from UAI and NTPU (joint class/workshop both online and offline). The implementation in the upcoming time must be crucial.
“I would like to give my sincere appreciation to NTPU for trusting UAI since day 1. NTPU has become our family. Thank you for inviting us and hosting this crucial meeting here in Sanxia. UAI would not doubt to welcome all the possible collaboration with open arms to NTPU in the future.“
Prof. Asep in the opening remarks.
As the two representatives of TIUL in Taiwan and Indonesia presented the proposal for the upcoming collaboration between NTPU and UAI, Dr. Shih represented the current bilateral collaboration and the academic and research achievements of TIUL and UAI cooperation in recent years as the continuity of the last discussion in last February in UAI. As a form of refreshment, Dr. Shih reported the latest update about all the research that involves the two universities.
Meanwhile, Ms. Faradesiva highlighted the official change of research center for its name and concept. She said that TIUL is supposed to be a research center for urban environment change and land resource management research center yet due to make this center more effective, efficient as well as productive, she suggested it to change its names and concepts into more broader varieties as a research center. Added some, she said it is better to change its name and concept into more broader varieties as a research center with four main focuses in different areas which are based on NSP and as the host university for Indonesia. The implements will cover the prevention of human resource decline through student exchange/transfer, Halal-centric Tourism, Teaching and/or Class Collaboration, and Continuity of on-going Research Collaboration.
On the occasion, all the three delegates of UAI were touring around the campus. They visited NTPU’s International College of Sustainability Innovations (ICSI), National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), and a discussion about exploration of future possibilities at 6F, Administration Building of NTPU.
All things considered, both universities are currently planning on designing some big steps to advance their cooperation through many projects. The implementations are expected not only affect the UAI and NTPU themselves, but also Indonesia and Taiwan’s relation to reach one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in looking up the education quality for a better world as well as better society. (TSH/FA)