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2010
Spring Taiwan Post-Fair Report
Report Contents:
Pre-Fair Orientation
Pre-Fair Publicity
Fair Venues & Attendance Statistics
AIEF’s Student Tracking System
Seminars for Students
Special Fair Attractions
UScampus Guide
Visit to AIEF’s New American Education Center at Providence
University in Taichung
2010 Summer and Fall Fairs
Pre-Fair Orientation
AIEF’s pre-fair
orientation for the 2010 Spring American Education Fair
participants was held at the Fullerton Hotel in Taipei on the
morning of Saturday, March 20th. Guest speakers from the
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) were American Cultural Center
Director, Mr. Scott Robinson, and AIT Visa Section Officer, Mr.
John Hicks. Representing the Ministry of Education was guest
speaker Dr. Ching Jen Liu, Director General of the Bureau of
International Cultural and Educational Relations (BICER).
Dr. Ching Jen Liu presented an overview of Taiwan’s efforts to
promote academic and teaching excellence at the university
level, to develop world-class universities and top research
centers, to promote international academic exchanges, and to
foster closer cooperation between educational institutions and
industries. He also provided details on scholarships for
Taiwan’s students to study abroad, as well as for international
students to study in Taiwan. According to Dr. Liu, 15, 594
students from Taiwan obtained visas to study in the USA in 2009.
Mr. Scott Robinson noted that seventeen of Taiwan’s cabinet
members have earned U.S. Ph.D. degrees, which is higher than the
number of doctorate degree holders who have served in the U.S.
cabinet. He further observed that since the 1940s Taiwan has
consistently been among the ten top sources of international
students pursuing studies in the USA. Mr. Robinson also
described AIT's efforts to promote U.S. education in Taiwan
through its support of the AIEF and Fulbright EducationUSA
advising centers, and via web resources including digital video
conferencing and blogs.
Mr. John Hicks asserted that U.S. schools can help Taiwan’s
students to study in the USA by correctly completing I-20 forms.
On the forms, it should indicate if English proficiency is
needed, he said. Stressing that students should be able to
explain why they chose your school, Hicks said that the clearer
students are about expectations the better. With regard to the
new online DS-160 form, Hicks did not offer specifics as to the
timing of its implementation in Taiwan, but expected that it
will be implemented within a few months.
The director of AIEF’s Washington, DC, Office, Mr. Stephen
Smith, reported that there were 28,065 students from Taiwan
studying in the USA in 2009, making Taiwan the sixth-leading
source of international students in the United States. As
indicated by IIE’s 2009 “Open Doors” report, the majority of
students from Taiwan (54.6 percent) study at the graduate level,
followed by undergraduates (25.5 percent), language and other
students (7.6 percent), and Optional Practical Training
participants (12.3 percent).
Smith made note of
President Ma’s Plans to send 10,000 Taiwanese students abroad
for study or goodwill activities. Taiwan is encouraging study
abroad, offering study abroad scholarships for academic
excellence, profession-related internship programs, and
economically disadvantaged students, said Smith. He mentioned
that the new program also calls for recruiting an additional
20,000 foreign students to study in Taiwan by offering
attractive incentives including scholarships. 
Advising U.S. school representatives to view their American
Education Fair interpreters as prospective recruits, Smith
pointed out that these students were selected on the basis of
their English proficiency as well as their interest in studying
in the United States. Smith also introduced AIEF’s successful
program to establish campus ambassador programs on local
campuses in Taiwan in order to engage students in spreading the
word about educational opportunities in the USA. As another way
to reach students beyond AIEF’s American Education Fairs, he
suggested that U.S. school representatives participate in
seminars organized by AIEF’s EducationUSA Center when they are
visiting Taiwan. To attract Taiwan’s students, Smith also
recommended that U.S. schools offer scholarships and provide
internship opportunities. 
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Pre-Fair Publicity
Pre-Fair publicity and
promotional activities included extensive local newspaper and
radio coverage, web announcements, e-newsletters, and posters &
flyers. Representatives from selected U.S. educational
institutions were interviewed on ICRT, the local
English-language radio station in Taipei. AIEF offered free
seminars at local public libraries and other sites in Taiwan to
introduce the upcoming Fair events.
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Fair Venues & Attendance Statistics
On Saturday and Sunday,
March 20-21, AIEF’s 2010 Spring American Education Fair in
Taiwan was held at the China Petroleum Corporation (CPC)
facilities, located near the famous Taipei 101 tower, the
tallest building in Taipei and a major tourist attraction. On
Monday, March 22, the Fair traveled to Kaohsiung’s Grand Hi Lai
Hotel, before moving on to Taichung at the Evergreen Laurel
Hotel on March 23. Many high school student groups, led by
school administrators and teachers, visited both the Kaohsiung
and Taichung Fairs. An estimated 3,963 visitors attended the
events in all three cities. Following authentication by AIEF,
the data collected on 3,115 students who registered at the Fairs
was verified.
 
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AIEF’s Student Tracking System
Online pre-fair
registration was offered by AIEF to the exhibition’s visitors.
Students who visited the American Education Fair were encouraged
to register their educational goals and contact information in
AIEF’s student tracking system. Following our verification of
student data, participating U.S. schools received a list of the
student contacts that visited their individual school’s booth
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Seminars
for Students
A series of free seminars
for students were offered at the AIEF Fair venues. Seminar
topics included “Application Procedures to U.S. Colleges and
Universities,” “Studying for an MBA in the U.S.,” “Travel, Work,
and Internships in the USA,” “Why and How to Start Your Overseas
Education at Private U.S. High School,” “Health Insurance in the
U.S.,” and “Student Loan to Study Abroad.” At the Taipei Fair
venue, AIT-Taipei Consular officers Mr. John Hicks and Mr.
Kendrick Liu offered presentations on the student visa
application process. On behalf of AIT, Mr. Mason Yu conducted
the student visa session in Kaohsiung and Mr. Carlton Benson
conducted the session in Taichung. 
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Special Fair Attractions
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Fair visitors enjoyed
AIEF’s free counseling services at each Fair venue.
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AIEF scholarship
information was available at all fair venues.
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AIT representatives were
on hand at the EducationUSA booth at the Taichung venue to
disseminate information as well as to answer questions from
students and parents.
 
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UScampus Guide
Free copies of the 2010
Spring edition of UScampus Guide were issued to all Fair
visitors. Created by AIEF, this semiannually published magazine
offers accurate and up-to-date information to international
students interested in studying in the United States.
Complimentary copies of the magazine are distributed at all of
AIEF’s American Education Fairs in Asia, as well as to public
libraries and other sites. UScampus Guide is also
distributed to EducationUSA Centers in 19 countries in the
region, as indicated in the inside back cover of the magazine.
Online copies of past issues of UScampus Guide may be
viewed or downloaded via http://www.uscampus.com/service_bulletin/news_guide.htm.
If you are interested in submitting an article or placing an
advertisement in the UScampus Guide, please e-mail info@aief-usa.org.
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Visit to AIEF’s New American Education Center at Providence
University in Taichung
A delegation of U.S.
school representatives led by AIEF visited Providence University
in Taichung on March 24. The delegation was cordially met by the
university’s Vice President, Dr. Wen-Kuang Chou, Office of
International Affairs Director, Dr. Victor Lin, and other school
staff. Ms. Miriam Chen gave the delegation a tour of the Luking
Library and AIEF’s recently opened American Education Center (AEC),
which is located within library. U.S. school representatives
were encouraged to leave copies of their schools’ materials at
the Center for the benefit of students in central Taiwan who are
planning to study in the USA.
 
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2010
Summer and Fall Fairs in Asia
Registration is now open
for AIEF’s 2010 Summer and Fall American Education Fairs in
Asia. The Fair schedule is as follows:
SUMMER 2010
Beijing – June 18-20
Xi’an – June 23-24
Shanghai – June 26-27
Suzhou – June 30
Nanjing – July 3-4
Shenyang – July 17-18
Anshan – July 21-22
Dalian – July 24-25
FALL 2010
Singapore – Sept. 30
Seoul - Oct. 2-3
Busan - Sept. 30
Taipei - Oct. 9-10
Kaohsiung - Oct. 11
Taichung - Oct. 12
Online registration is
available at:
http://www.aief-usa.org/services/signup_fair.htm.
For more information, please visit our website, www.aief-usa.org,
or call the AIEF office in California at 714-985-1995.
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