Micronesian and Chamorro Connection
Invited by the University of Guam and led by Center for International Indigenous Affairs (CIIA) , NDHU delegation of eight participated in the Charter Day event at the University and presented papers at‘Think Globally, Learn Locally’, an annual conference hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. The delegation met with the President of the University and exchanged experiences with College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Chamorro Studies Program, Micronesian Area Research Center in preparation for establishment of formal collaborative platform to support student and faculty exchange between the two Universities.
The main aim of this visit is to promote the establishment of mutually beneficial exchange programs between NDHU and universities in English-speaking countries. Since the inception of the CIIA in August 2014, Director Hsieh (謝若蘭) has taken a proactive role in building connections for potential collaboration. Following a productive trip to Tenri University and National Museum of Ethnology in Japan last year, the trip to Guam provided an opportunity for exchange with other Austronesian peoples.
Dr. Robert A. Underwood, President of University of Guam who formerly served as the Guam Delegate to the US Congress, said that he visited Taiwan on several occasions and because he is very much committed to Chamorro issues and higher education, he looks forward to collaboration between the two Universities very much. Dr. Troy McVey, Deputy Dean of the College Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Michael L. Bevacqua, Head of the Chamorro Studies Program and Assistant Professor Jimmy Huang (黃駿) of the Department of English and Anthropology enthusiastically invited Dr. Hsieh, Dr. Yu-chao Huang （黃毓超）and Dr. Cheng-hsien Yang (楊政賢) to lunch to discuss concrete outlineof exchange opportunities.
Dr. Hsieh and Dr. Huang were invited to give papers at ‘Think Globally, Learn Local’ conference and had productive discussion with the audience. Furthermore, the delegation was thrilled to attend the annual Charter Day activities which had provided an opportunity to gain insight to the unique culture of Guam as well as effective Chamorro language revitalization strategies and practices.
In addition to the three faculty members, the NDHU delegation also included current CIS students, Pasuya Yasiungu (安梓濱Tsou, PhD Student) and Si Manpang (希．滿棒Tao, Masters Student) as well as several outstanding graduates. The delegation made great impression as guests to the University of Guam building informal connections that will serve as useful foundation for collaboration in the future.