Your Name and Title:
Chun-Chan Hsu/ Ms.
School or Organization Name:
Teachers College, Columbia University
Co-Presenter Name(s):
N/A
Area of the World from Which You Will Present:
Taiwan
Language in Which You Will Present:
English
Target Audience(s):
Higher Education Policy Makers/ University Administrators and Professors
Short Session Description:
Examine how an international student scholarship program can cause impacts on the internationalization of Taiwan’s higher education as well as how it can be used as a form of educational assistance to achieve diplomatic purposes.
Full Session Description:
Along with Asia’s rising economic power, Taiwan has assumed a new role as an international donor and along with it, stepped into a new era of public diplomacy. Aimed at countries situated in the global south, Taiwan’s educational assistance policy is providing financial aid for study in Taiwan through the form of its Taiwan Scholarship Program. Particularly targeted at students in Latin America, where the majority of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies are situated, this new foreign policy aims not only to promote international academic cooperation, but also to enhance relations between Taiwan and its supportive nations, consequently gaining Taiwan recognition from countries worldwide as a significant force in global development efforts. In addition, new trends of internationalization in higher education also contributed to the creation of the Taiwan Scholarship Program. In order to increase global competitiveness in its local universities, Taiwan’s goal is to lure talent from abroad by offering complete financial support. Thus by surveying scholarship recipients’ perceptions of studying in Taiwan, this study attempts to explore how the scholarship program entices pro-Taiwan attitude through its implementation, as well as to what extent the scholarship program is perceived by the recipients in shaping global trends in Taiwan’s higher education internationalization.
This study uses a qualitative method to conduct a research on scholarship recipients’ perspectives on studying in Taiwan. The case study design is informed by a phenomenological approach, using ten degree-seeking students from four key universities in Taiwan for its case studies. The results suggest that the Taiwan Scholarship Program has positively contributed to the mutual development of Taiwan and the recipient countries and helped to elevate Taiwan’s international image. Despite these results, doubt remains about whether this educational initiative is benefiting students in terms of the quality of the education being offered and the overall fairness to the access of this program.
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