2005
Fall American Education Fair
- Taiwan Post-Fair Report
“Taiwan is Coming Back”
AIEF is pleased to note that the refrain “Taiwan is coming back” was an often-heard sentiment at its 2005 Fall American Education Fair in Taiwan. In 2004, Taiwan slipped from fifth to sixth place (after Canada) as one of the leading places of origin for international students studying in the USA. Judging from the enthusiastic turnout at our Taiwan Fairs this fall, it could be possible that Taiwan may soon regain its place among U.S. education’s top five sources of international students.
Subjects covered in this
report:
Pre-Fair Orientations
Orientations for fair participants were held in Taipei and Kaohsiung prior to the events in those cities. Guest speakers at the Taipei orientation were Ministry of Education (MOE) representative Mr. Samuel Fusheng Liu, Senior Executive Officer with the Bureau of International Cultural and Educational Relations, as well as Ms. Judy Chow and Ms. P. Thao Hong from the American Institute in Taiwan
(AIT).
Mr. Liu of the MOE introduced Taiwan’s educational system and provided data on student demographics. As of Fall 2005, AIT’s Ms. Hong pointed out during her presentation, there has already been a 9 percent increase over last year in terms of the number of student visa applicants, and it is expected that there may be an 11 percent increase overall by the end of the year.
At the Kaohsiung orientation, Ms. Christina Harbaugh, Commercial Section Chief of AIT-Kaohsiung, welcomed the U.S. education delegation and wished them success in their recruitment efforts.
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Pre-Fair Publicity
Prior to the Fair, AIEF offered free seminars at local public libraries in Taiwan to introduce the upcoming Fair events. In addition, several representatives from U.S. educational institutions were interviewed on ICRT, the local English-language radio station in Taipei, while others communicated with local students via web chat sessions conducted by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Extensive local newspaper, radio and television coverage also generated positive publicity in advance for the American Education Fairs. In addition, a press conference was held on September 30th.
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Fair Venues & Attendance Statistics
AIEF’s 2005 Fall American Education Fair in Taiwan was held in Taipei at the Howard Plaza Hotel on October 1st, in Kaohsiung at the Grand Hi Lai Hotel on October 3rd, and in Taichung at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel on October 4th. In all three cities, the Taiwan Fall Fair had a total of 5,646 visitors, of which data from 3,504 students has been collected. Student data will soon be provided to fair participants in early November.
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Typhoon Longwang
Unfortunately, due to weather bureau bulletins regarding the potential threat posed by Typhoon
Longwang, the second day of the Taipei fair had to be cancelled on October 2nd. In compliance with local authorities’ precautionary measures, this decision was based on safety concerns.
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Seminars for Students
Concurrent with the 2005 Fall American Education Fair in Taiwan, a series of seminars for students were offered in presentation rooms near the exhibition areas at each of the Fair venues. Topics included up-to-date information on English language learning and proficiency test preparation, and quality community college, undergraduate and graduate programs. AIT representatives conducted sessions on student visas at all three fair venues (Ms. P. Thao Hong in Taipei and Taichung, and Mr. William Johnson in
Kaohsiung).
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Seminars for Local Educators
In Kaohsiung and Taichung, AIEF held informational seminars for local school faculty and administrators on issues related to developing English language proficiency and studying in the USA.
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Student Scholarships
Applications and information about scholarships for students planning to study in the USA were widely publicized by AIEF at each of the fair venues. Schools participating in our fairs are encouraged to submit scholarship information to AIEF in advance for dissemination at future fairs. This service is free to all participating schools.
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Special Fair Attractions
Fair visitors enjoyed AIEF’s free counseling services at the Fair. Prizes were presented to the winning audience members who tested their English skills by participating in an entertaining and lively “English Riddle” contest held in Taipei. Students who pre-registered for the Fair online at www.UScampus.com.tw received free, colorful maps of the USA.
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Post-Fair Activities
To continue outreach activities after the Fair, AIEF staff has conducted seminars at various local high schools and universities in Taiwan, including National Chengchi University, Shih-Chian University and Soochow University. Fair participants are welcome to take part in these types of outreach activities.
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2006 Spring Fairs
Registration will soon be open for AIEF’s 2006 Spring American Education Fairs in Taiwan and Korea. The Spring Fair schedule is as follows:
Singapore -March 16
Taipei – March 18-19
Kaohsiung – March 20
Taichung – March 21
Seoul – March 25-26
Busan – March 28
Shanghai - April 15-16
Beijing - July 21-23
Online registration is available at:
http://www.aief-usa.org/services/signup_fair.htm. For more information, please visit our Website or call the AIEF office in California at 626-965-1995.
