AIT Director William Brent Christensen conferred honorary doctorate from NSYSU
2021-06-21
As a severe outbreak of the epidemic has recently hit Taiwan, NSYSU hosted the honorary doctorate conferral ceremony for the first time online. With the Minister of Education Pan Wen-Chung and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu witnessing the ceremony remotely, NSYSU President Ying-Yao Cheng bestowed the Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences online to Mr. William Brent Christensen in recognition of his active promotion of U.S.-Taiwan relations and involvement in developing closer partnership of mutual trust, friendship, and cooperation between the two governments during his term as Director of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
In his speech, Mr. William Brent Christensen mentioned, “National Sun Yat-sen University is not only one of the premier universities in Taiwan, but also one of AIT’s most steadfast partners. Thanks to the leadership of President Cheng, we have joined forces on projects that have reflected the growth of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. Last year, our cooperation grew even stronger with the signing of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative (...). I would like to specially recognize National Sun Yat-sen University for playing a pivotal role in this initiative, being the site of Taiwan’s first bilingual education training center. (...) National Sun Yat-sen University’s support for this initiative will further raise the already impressive level of people-to-people relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.”
Mr. Christensen shared from his own experience that people-to-people relations are especially important. “This is why I am where I am now, and it is an honor to me,” he said. “Real friends, real progress” is how AIT describes U.S.-Taiwan partnership, as he explained. These simple words mean that the United States is Taiwan's firm partner and true friend, and also means that words are turned into action, and that both governments are genuinely committed to mutual success.
NSYSU recognized that Mr. Brent Christensen had fulfilled the promise of the “Four Promotes” he made when he first assumed the AIT Director position. The Four Promotes are to promote U.S.-Taiwan security cooperation, promote U.S.-Taiwan economic and commercial ties, promote Taiwan's participation on the international stage, and promote U.S.-Taiwan people-to-people ties. As Mr. Christensen has demonstrated professionalism in diplomacy, communication, and leadership, and is closely acquainted with the Taiwanese culture, which won recognition from all sectors of the community in Taiwan, the National Sun Yat-sen University is proud to confer the Honorary Doctorate of Social Sciences to Mr. W. Brent Christensen in honor of his contributions to Taiwan and U.S. relations.
President Cheng pointed out in the opening address that the conferring of the Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences to Mr. W. Brent Christensen in 2021 is to highlight NSYSU’s close connection and cooperation with the international community. Specifically, President Cheng points out that NSYSU is the first university in Taiwan to propose a 10-year project to promote full English-language education at the University. In March of this year, NSYSU hosted the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative-Bilingual Education Symposium, organized jointly by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), and announced the establishment of the first bilingual regional resource center at NSYSU, the first of this kind in Taiwan. President Cheng emphasized that the Center will enable the campus to be more internationalized and allow NSYSU to cultivate generations of international-minded professionals for Taiwan. NSYSU is exceptionally proud to have Mr. Christensen as our alumnus for his contribution to promoting U.S.-Taiwan bilingual education.
Minister of Education Pan Wen-Chung thanked Mr. Brent Christensen for his support for education in Taiwan and stated that the language education cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. had significant progress since the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative was introduced. Under the initiative, Taiwan receives English teachers from the U.S. and benefits from teachers’ training system, experts’ talks, and workshops. The American Institute in Taiwan and the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange also offered valuable advice.
The Ministry of Education announced the establishment of the Bilingual Regional Resource Center in Kaohsiung, which had received strong support from AIT. Director Christensen not only built a bridge in education between Taiwan and the U.S. but also achieved milestones in politics and economics and security sectors. This brought Mr. Brent Christensen the well-deserved honorary doctorate. “Having such an exceptional honorary doctorate recipient is a great honor and pride for us and for Taiwan.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu said that significant accomplishments between Taiwan and U.S. relations resulted in the past three years under the leadership of Mr. Brent Christensen at AIT. One example is the U.S. Department of State issuing new guidelines for the U.S. government's interaction with Taiwan counterparts in April this year to encourage engagement that reflects the deepening of both governments’ unofficial relationship. In addition, earlier this month, the delegation of three U.S. senators to Taiwan by military aircraft to announce the donation of vaccines to Taiwan, an expression of the firm friendship between the U.S. and Taiwan. Regarding economy and trade, talks regarding the U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) are expected to be held at the end of June – another exciting and significant development. “Director Brent Christensen is the greatest contributor” in bilateral cooperation, whether at the top level, in military security, economy, trade, or education.
As a severe outbreak of the epidemic has recently hit Taiwan, NSYSU hosted the honorary doctorate conferral ceremony for the first time online. With the Minister of Education Pan Wen-Chung and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu witnessing the ceremony remotely, NSYSU President Ying-Yao Cheng bestowed the Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences online to Mr. William Brent Christensen in recognition of his active promotion of U.S.-Taiwan relations and involvement in developing closer partnership of mutual trust, friendship, and cooperation between the two governments during his term as Director of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
In his speech, Mr. William Brent Christensen mentioned, “National Sun Yat-sen University is not only one of the premier universities in Taiwan, but also one of AIT’s most steadfast partners. Thanks to the leadership of President Cheng, we have joined forces on projects that have reflected the growth of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. Last year, our cooperation grew even stronger with the signing of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative (...). I would like to specially recognize National Sun Yat-sen University for playing a pivotal role in this initiative, being the site of Taiwan’s first bilingual education training center. (...) National Sun Yat-sen University’s support for this initiative will further raise the already impressive level of people-to-people relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.”
Mr. Christensen shared from his own experience that people-to-people relations are especially important. “This is why I am where I am now, and it is an honor to me,” he said. “Real friends, real progress” is how AIT describes U.S.-Taiwan partnership, as he explained. These simple words mean that the United States is Taiwan's firm partner and true friend, and also means that words are turned into action, and that both governments are genuinely committed to mutual success.
NSYSU recognized that Mr. Brent Christensen had fulfilled the promise of the “Four Promotes” he made when he first assumed the AIT Director position. The Four Promotes are to promote U.S.-Taiwan security cooperation, promote U.S.-Taiwan economic and commercial ties, promote Taiwan's participation on the international stage, and promote U.S.-Taiwan people-to-people ties. As Mr. Christensen has demonstrated professionalism in diplomacy, communication, and leadership, and is closely acquainted with the Taiwanese culture, which won recognition from all sectors of the community in Taiwan, the National Sun Yat-sen University is proud to confer the Honorary Doctorate of Social Sciences to Mr. W. Brent Christensen in honor of his contributions to Taiwan and U.S. relations.
President Cheng pointed out in the opening address that the conferring of the Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences to Mr. W. Brent Christensen in 2021 is to highlight NSYSU’s close connection and cooperation with the international community. Specifically, President Cheng points out that NSYSU is the first university in Taiwan to propose a 10-year project to promote full English-language education at the University. In March of this year, NSYSU hosted the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative-Bilingual Education Symposium, organized jointly by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), and announced the establishment of the first bilingual regional resource center at NSYSU, the first of this kind in Taiwan. President Cheng emphasized that the Center will enable the campus to be more internationalized and allow NSYSU to cultivate generations of international-minded professionals for Taiwan. NSYSU is exceptionally proud to have Mr. Christensen as our alumnus for his contribution to promoting U.S.-Taiwan bilingual education.
Minister of Education Pan Wen-Chung thanked Mr. Brent Christensen for his support for education in Taiwan and stated that the language education cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. had significant progress since the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative was introduced. Under the initiative, Taiwan receives English teachers from the U.S. and benefits from teachers’ training system, experts’ talks, and workshops. The American Institute in Taiwan and the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange also offered valuable advice.
The Ministry of Education announced the establishment of the Bilingual Regional Resource Center in Kaohsiung, which had received strong support from AIT. Director Christensen not only built a bridge in education between Taiwan and the U.S. but also achieved milestones in politics and economics and security sectors. This brought Mr. Brent Christensen the well-deserved honorary doctorate. “Having such an exceptional honorary doctorate recipient is a great honor and pride for us and for Taiwan.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu said that significant accomplishments between Taiwan and U.S. relations resulted in the past three years under the leadership of Mr. Brent Christensen at AIT. One example is the U.S. Department of State issuing new guidelines for the U.S. government's interaction with Taiwan counterparts in April this year to encourage engagement that reflects the deepening of both governments’ unofficial relationship. In addition, earlier this month, the delegation of three U.S. senators to Taiwan by military aircraft to announce the donation of vaccines to Taiwan, an expression of the firm friendship between the U.S. and Taiwan. Regarding economy and trade, talks regarding the U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) are expected to be held at the end of June – another exciting and significant development. “Director Brent Christensen is the greatest contributor” in bilateral cooperation, whether at the top level, in military security, economy, trade, or education.
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