NTU signed an academic exchange agreement with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on March 15th. Both parties agreed to strengthen faculty/students exchanges and visits in the cutting edge areas of agriculture, bioengineering, natural resources and environmental sciences. NTU will take the initiative by setting up courses on “Biodiversity and the Culture of Taiwan,” attracting UIUC faculty and students to attend. The first group of faculty and students from UIUC is expected to come to Taiwan no later than May.

Dr. Chen Bao-ji, Dean of the College of Bioresources and Agriculture, pointed out in a statement that, to seek innovative developments in the fields of traditional agriculture, environmental resources and life sciences, and to cultivate interdisciplinary talents, NTU must actively promote academic exchange and cooperation with the world's top universities. As prelude to the bilateral exchange, Dr. Robert A. Easter, Dean of the College of Agriculture of UIUC, will be invited to visit NTU's College of Bioresources and Agriculture in April for an evaluation tour. In August of this year, Dr. Jesse Delia, Director of International Programs and Studies of UIUC, will also represent UIUC to visit NTU's College of Bioresources and Agriculture and College of Life Science. Subsequent to these two visits, Dr. Chen Bao-ji will lead a group of faculty from both colleges to conduct an on-site tour of UIUC in September, discussing in detail possible exchanges with UIUC administrators in the fields of bio-resources, agricultural engineering, animal science, food science, forestry and crop science.

According to the signed agreement, UIUC will provide courses in agriculture and consumer economics, agriculture and bio-engineering, animal science, crop science, food science and human nutrition, mankind and community development, natural resources and environmental science, life science, etc., for NTU exchange students to enroll in, and also provide master-level curriculum for NTU baccalaureates to pursue a master's degree. In return, NTU will provide UIUC exchange students summer study courses and quotas in the regular curriculum.

In addition, after completing their junior year, NTU students will have the opportunity to finish off their senior year at UIUC by taking courses that are sanctioned by NTU. If the students continue to complete master-level courses at UIUC within a year, they shall be able to obtain master degrees from both NTU and UIUC within five-year span of study.