As the national secretariat of UMAP (University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific), NTU inaugurated the first video conference to allow board members to participate in an international meeting on strategic planning. The meeting was held in Room 106 of the Computer and Information Networking Center of NTU at 10 a.m. on March 9th. It was proposed by Thailand, the international secretariat of UMAP. Dr. Sumate Yamnoon, who serves as the General Secretary, invited the current Chairman, President Lopez of Mexico’s Univeristy of Colima to participate in the video conference with UMAP’s former Chairman, Dr. Li Si-chen, who is President of NTU, and his staff members who include Director of the Center for International Academic Exchange Mr. Shen-Tung, and Deputy Director of the Center for International Academic Exchange Mr. Liang Xin-Rong. The purpose of the video conference was to discuss directions and work plans of UMAP for the next five years.

Owing to the technical complexity of the video conference between NTU, Thailand, and Mexico, technicians of the three countries had to conduct repeated tests to make the conference go smoothly. A word of thanks is due to Director Chen of the Computing and Information Networking Center, and also to Miss Shih and other colleagues who were involved in the project. After the conference, both President Li and Director Shen indicated that video conferencing was an effective tool in enhancing the convenience and efficiency of international meetings. Consequently, the likelihood of NTU holding video conferences in the future would be greatly heightened.

UMAP was established in 1999 with NTU as a founding member. Over the years NTU has been deeply involved in the organization, by sending delegates to its commissions, participating in its workshops and biennial congress, and initiating a scholarship program from 2005-2007 as a way to provide exchange and cooperation opportunities among the member nations, and promoting academic exchange between Asia/Pacific nations and Taiwan. For related information, contact the Center for International Academic Exchange at : 02-3366-2007.