On March 7, representatives from the Nan Jeon Institute of Technology and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of Kansas City visited Missouri Southern to sign an exchange agreement.

This agreement, translated in both English and Chinese, instilled the exchange of faculty and staff between the two schools.

“This will open a lot of doors for Missouri Southern,” said Dr. Julio León, University president. “This is a great occasion for Missouri Southern as we continue to develop our international mission.”

The event originally was not planned to take place in the corridor of Taylor Auditorium. Dr. Jay Moorman, department head of communication, said this day was much needed due to the hospitality he and Dr. Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies, received last year from the Taiwan institute.

“This has escalated from just a simple signing in the president’s office to this gala-type affair,” he said. “(The representatives) tried to repay us for coming, but we said ‘Oh no, we are going to host you.’ So this is a really complimentary relationship at this point.”

Dr. Jason Y.Y. Wang, section chief of the Nan Jeon Institute of Technology, said the partnership between the two schools will make the future a bright one. He said this University provides the right atmosphere for any student pursuing an education.

“The University has a very quiet environment,” Wang said. “Many parents want their children to study in Europe or the United States, especially in the Midwest, because it’s so quiet and peaceful, and the air is good and fresh.”

Wang said the interest of the Taiwanese students might be centered towards engineering, business and computer programming. There are at least 10 students currently interested in studying at Southern, but the language barrier keeps more from coming earlier.

“English is very important, we are trying to get our students to learn English first then we should get much more students here,” Wang said.

This exchange agreement will not be the last for the Taiwan institute.

“We hope to have a partnership in every state,” Wang said.

For Southern, this 16th exchange agreement might be a good place to take a breather. León said there isn’t another school on the horizon yet.

“I’m sure others will come as we explore for our students all possibilities,” he said.