Florida Higher Education Group Meets With Taiwan President And Signs Memorandum Of Understanding To Promote Student Exchange Programs
TALLAHASSEE – Last week, President and CEO of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF), Dr. Ed Moore, met with President Ma Ying-jeou of the Republic of China at the second annual Taiwan-Florida Education Conference in Taipei to discuss higher education and student exchange programs. During the visit, Dr. Moore and Dr. Anthony Catanese, President of the Florida Institute of Technology and Chairman of the ICUF Council of Presidents, met with leaders of the major universities in Taiwan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Taiwanese government to increase foreign student exchange programs, scholarships, study abroad programs and research opportunities between Florida and Taiwan.
“Students who choose to study abroad gain global experience that will make them more competitive and highly skilled candidates as they enter the workforce,” said Dr. Ed Moore. “On behalf of the 28 private institutions ICUF represents, we are thrilled to expand foreign exchange programs for our students and we are confident this partnership will pave the way for additional students to take advantage of the excellent educational opportunities available in Taiwan. We also hope this new relationship will encourage students from Taiwan to study at Florida’s world class universities.”
In 2000, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China created the Taiwan-Florida Scholarship which grants $10 million in funds to students from participating universities in Taiwan to attend higher education institutions in Florida. President Ma met with Dr. Moore, Dr. Cantanse and a delegation from other ICUF institutions and Florida State university schools to show his support of the MOU and reinforce the importance of this significant agreement.
“Very few of our students choose to study outside of Western Europe and it is critical that we find opportunities to develop study abroad programs in diverse parts of the world,” said Dr. Catanese. “The partnership we have built is very important for Florida because it will encourage our students to take advantage of exceptional opportunities in Taiwan which will certainly help them succeed in the classroom and in their chosen career. The scholarships will give students the ability to travel abroad that may not previously had the means to do so.”
Attached to the release is a photo of Dr. Ed Moore and Dr. Anthony Catanese’s visit with President Ma. Please see photo caption below. For more information on ICUF, visit www.icuf.org.
