News

On March 6 Waseda University held its second annual Regional Exchange Forum in Taiwan. Attended by over 500 people, the event included group information sessions and personalized advising for prospective students, speeches about career planning and the latest research on Taiwan, as well as a hands-on science experiment for children.

Building on the experience of last year’s event, the keen interest shown and the high attendance demonstrated the reputation Waseda has earned in Taiwan with its sustained outreach efforts and positive word of mouth from students and graduates. 

The Forum was coordinated by Waseda’s Taipei Office with the help of over 25 current students and young alumni.

Regional Forum in Taiwan

Part one of the Forum included an overview of the University and a panel discussion by three recent graduates from Taiwan. One hundred family members of current students filled the room, listening intently to the words of those who went before.

Part two began with a moving speech by Kinpo Electronics Director Jerry Hsu, 2001 graduate of Waseda’s Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, about planting seeds for the future.

Mr Hsu was followed by Waseda professor Masahiro Wakabayashi, who spoke about his specialty, Taiwanese politics.

The many questions from the audience showed resonance of the themes and interest in both presentations.

Advising for prospective students

In parallel to the Forum, over 200 people came for individual advising on studying at Waseda. 90 percent of these were Taiwanese (vs. 10 percent Japanese expatriates) and many had participated in information sessions last July and October, reflecting the high level of interest for Waseda in Taiwan.

Science project for kids

In another parallel activity, students and staff from Waseda’s Faculty of Science & Engineering led a hands-on science project for 140 children, from preschool to junior high. Their faces lit up when they put on white lab coats, and they became engrossed in making their own unique paper flowers, which exploded with color like magic when dipped in water. There were smiles all around as the children carried home the beautiful fruits of their lesson.

Waseda students from Taiwan patiently attended to the children at each table.

Survey forms showed that 96 percent enjoyed the science project, reflecting the effort invested by students and staff.

All the Forum events were a great success, boding well for even deeper ties between Waseda and Taiwan in the future.