Last Saturday, The Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (FSE) held a series of lively events to host our Fulbright grantees. The day began with a Cultural Enrichment tour at the Bopiliao Historic Block, where new grantees explored the beauty of vintage streets in Taipei. Concurrently, the Fall Workshop for 2020-2021 grantees took place at the FSE office, grantees shared their insights on how their Taiwan experience dynamically impacted their research. Many grantees had undergone Mandarin training in the past few months – the results were impressive, of which some already demonstrated fluency in Mandarin and could navigate day-to-day conversations.

When the day tour concluded, new grantees returned to the FSE office for the Orientation. Dr. Randall Nadeau, Executive Director of FSE, delivered a detailed presentation on Program Overview, introducing the history and evolution of the Fulbright program and U.S.-Taiwan international academic exchanges. We had also invited distinguished former Fulbrighters, Dr. Margaret Lewis and Dr. Dale Albanese, to share their treasured Taiwan experience. Additionally, Dr. Shuling Huang, Associate Professor at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and former Fulbright Scholar, presented her recent research on Taiwanese transnational mobility. Through vibrant academic conversations, grantees were able to exchange thoughts and deepen relations with fellow scholars.

We are thrilled to welcome the 2021-2022 grantees, and could not wait to see you rise and shine throughout your stay as a Fulbright grantee in Taiwan. As Dr. Nadeau once said, “We are certain that you will be rewarded by the hospitality, academic excellence, and creative inspiration of this Ilha Formosa.”