CISTU Welcomes Taiwan’s Youth Development Administration Through Its Long-Standing Partnership with NCCU

Long-standing university partnerships can create connections that extend far beyond the two institutions that originally established them.

On 11 August 2026, the College of Interdisciplinary Studies (CISTU), Thammasat University, welcomed representatives and youth delegates from the Youth Development Administration (YDA), Ministry of Education, Taiwan, at Tha Prachan.

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The visit was facilitated through CISTU’s continuing academic collaboration with National Chengchi University (NCCU), one of the College’s established international partners.

Connecting Universities, Government and Young People

The programme brought together Thai students and Taiwanese youth to exchange experiences and perspectives on volunteerism, community development, and youth participation.

Participants discussed different approaches to community-oriented volunteer programmes and shared experiences of civic and social engagement in Thailand and Taiwan.

The CISTU delegation welcoming the group included Assoc. Prof. Phakpoom Tippakoon, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Research and International Affairs; Ing-Wei Huang, Ph.D., Director of the PPE International Programme; and Sepideh Bazrafkan, Ph.D., faculty member of the PPE International Programme.

The engagement illustrates how an established academic partnership can develop outward. Collaboration between CISTU and NCCU has created opportunities not only for university-to-university exchange, but also for connections with public institutions and youth-development networks in Taiwan.

Expanding the Reach of International Collaboration

For CISTU, international partnerships are increasingly valuable when they provide platforms for multiple forms of engagement—academic exchange, student mobility, public-sector connections, and dialogue around shared social challenges.

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By hosting exchanges such as the YDA visit, CISTU also seeks to serve as an interdisciplinary meeting point for international universities and organisations interested in engaging with Thailand and Southeast Asia.

The College looks forward to continuing its collaboration with NCCU while developing further opportunities that connect students, academics, public institutions, and communities across borders.