Arizona Western College is expanding its ties overseas through new partnerships with three universities in Taiwan.
At a shared international press conference Wednesday, the college announced that it had recently signed memoranda of understanding with Asia University, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, and National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology.
These agreements could eventually give AWC students and faculty opportunities to study and work with their counterparts in Taiwan, with a focus on areas including semiconductor manufacturing, engineering and artificial intelligence.
“Geography is not going to get in the way of opportunity,” said Dr. Shadi Kilani, executive vice president of AWC’s Entrepreneurial College. “The future of technology should be inclusive of our students from Yuma, San Luis, Somerton, Parker, Quartzsite, Wellton and every community across La Paz and Yuma counties.
“This work is also more than just about technology; it's about people. It's about helping students build relationships, understanding other cultures and see that innovation is strongest when it's grounded in human connection.”
AWC’s partners in Taiwan also outlined the opportunities they hope the agreements will create.
“We hope to develop students and faculty exchanges, joint academic activities and new pathways for students to gain international learning and professional experience in Taiwan, particularly at Asia University,” said Dr. Jeffrey J.P. Tsai, president and chair professor of bioinformatics and medical engineering at Asia University.
He noted that Asia University has developed a strong semiconductor education program for more than 15 years and has worked closely with companies including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) and Micron.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology also emphasized its hands-on approach to technical education.
“Our identity comes down to one idea: it is learning by doing,” said Dr. Mong-Fong Horng, dean of the university’s College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “And that is especially true in semiconductors.”
The partnerships grew out of AWC’s participation in an Arizona Commerce Authority delegation to Taiwan last October. AWC President Dr. Reetika Dhawan said the college was invited as part of a statewide effort to build a larger workforce pipeline for the semiconductor industry.
She explained that all three state universities — Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona — have already developed semiconductor-related collaborations with Taiwanese universities and companies, and said AWC’s existing curriculum already aligns closely with university transfer pathways.
“So this is the right pathway where we also work directly with Taiwan universities, where we are talking with the ministry as well, where our students can get 100% scholarships even … and then also get a paid internship to work with these multi-million dollar companies and then come back in Arizona and contribute to our economy,” she said, outlining what she hopes the partnerships could eventually make possible for AWC students.
Dhawan said that fast-track training is something AWC can’t do by itself because some of the required equipment may cost billions of dollars.
“We need that partnership and that expertise,” she said, adding that the Taiwanese universities have scientists who can help train AWC students.
Bryan Doak, executive vice president of learning and student services at AWC, said the partnership is still in its infancy, but the college is “working as fast as we can to get this launched with our university partners.”
Kilani added that some of the groundwork is already in place through AWC’s existing technical and skills-based training, while the formal academic components are still being developed.
“On the academic side, most of the science and math courses already exist here,” said Renee Macaluso, dean of mathematics, science and engineering at AWC.
She said students could complete their first two years at AWC before transferring to a partner university in Taiwan for more specialized coursework.
And once the partnership’s well underway, Kilani said its success will be measured by “the students who gain new skills, the faculty who build new collaborations, the employers who find prepared talent and the communities that benefit when opportunity reaches more people.”
“That is the promise of this partnership: bringing the world closer to our students and helping them carry their talent into the world,” he said.
