Having worked on building international collaboration for years, ISU welcomes overseas universities for visits and collaboration as Taiwan has lifted its border restrictions. On March 2, 2023, ISU entered into an MOU and an MOA with Mae Fah Luang University, the best young university in Thailand in 2022, as released by the Times Higher Education, for academic exchange, student exchange, and faculty exchange, and both institutions were excited about the collaboration. President Chayaporn Wattanasiri of Mae Fah Luang University and her delegation came to ISU. They visited the AI Innovation Center, the New Media Learning and Creation Center, and the Japanese Culture Classroom, looking forward to upcoming exchange and collaboration.
Located in Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand, Mae Fah Luang University was established in 1988. Although it is a young university, Mae Fah Luang University is globally recognized for its academic status. In the World University Rankings 2023 released by the Times Higher Education, Mae Fah Luang University was ranked between 801 and 1000 worldwide, 14th in Southeast Asia, and 2nd in Thailand. Mae Fah Luang University is an eminent international university in Thailand that offers only EMI courses. In commemoration of Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra Mahidol, the mother of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Mae Fah Luang University is a comprehensive international university, like ISU, comprising 15 schools, including the School of Cosmetic Science, the School of Health Science, the School of Medicine, the School of Liberal Arts, and the School of Science.
Mae Fah Luang University was fascinated by full support from the College of Medicine and hospitals affiliated with E United Group, believing that its students can easily approach interdisciplinary learning. In Academic Year 2023, the first batch of exchange students will arrive at ISU and Mae Fah Luang University, respectively, and a series of custom-made courses focusing on cosmetic science, business administration and marketing, design and packaging, and health management will begin. President Chayaporn Wattanasiri said that similar to ISU, Mae Fah Luang University has around 800 international students from over 40 countries among its 15,000 students, whereas ISU has 1,500 international students, and both institutions are well-internationalized universities. She also looks forward to productive collaboration in the future based on this partnership.
President Chen delightfully indicated that despite being a young university, Mae Fah Luang University garnered accolades for its academic achievements. In particular, the scale and the educational philosophies of Mae Fah Luang University were remarkably similar to those of ISU. With the resources from E United Group and the investment in the technology industry by Kaohsiung City Government, he believed that both institutions could nurture more international elites with abundant teaching resources through this collaboration. As a university with internationalized campuses and powerful international mobility, ISU is a miniature of the global village for students to broaden their horizons.
