Dr. Flora Chang, accompanied by Lee Shi-min, a professor at the Department Aerospace Engineering, departed to the US on April 3rd for a four-day visit. During which, she and 15 other delegates from various Taiwan and US universities participated in a tour that took them to the Headquarters of Microsoft in Seattle and the University of Washington nearby.

They visited Microsoft on the first day of their trip and was received by its Vice President, Michele Dunkerley, who demonstrated them, under the name of “2005 IT Policy Tour”, the latest development of its IT concepts, using simulation technology that put them in various future scenarios to envisage what life will be. During the simulation, they were able to “experience” vividly, for example, what role technology will be playing in offices, homes, education, and other related areas. Everyone was in awe by what they saw and “experienced”. After the tour, Dr. Flora Chang and her team exchanged ideas with Microsoft staff concerning the seemingly boundless contribution of IT in higher education.

At lunch, the team met with members of the Taiwanese Microsoft Employee Association, some of whom are in fact TKU alumni. Dr. Flora Chang told them how impressed she was with the campus-styled Microsoft headquarters and its unique vibrant corporate culture.

In the afternoon, the team visited the University of Washington, which is also in Seattle. Apart from meeting its president, Dr. Mark A. Emmert, who received them personally, Dr. Flora Chang also managed to meet with the deans of its Colleges of Business and Information for any possible academic exchange in the future.