Our department had the privilege to have Dr. Dennis Van Vranken Hickey, who is a Senior Fellow of Institute of Taiwan American Studies, in Washington DC, USA. He is also a Distinguished professor of Missouri State University. He delivered two speeches on two distinct topics: “Taiwan’s Diplomatic Partners in Global Community” for undergraduate students and “The Pillars of Taiwan’s Security” for master degree students. Dr. Hickey explained the progress of diplomatic policy in Taiwan, and the major events that have occurred. He further explained the diplomatic policies that were put forward by each president of Taiwan, and shared his thoughts if whether they were suitable or not for Taiwan’s situation at that point in time.
His presentation deepened our knowledge on the current circumstances. Our students also asked questions actively during the Q&A time, and Dr. Hickey answered every question thoroughly with his expertise.
Through Dr. Hickey’s explanation and his perspective and opinions, we were able to understand our own country more, and were motivated to increase our diplomatic knowledge to enrich our international outlook.