NTHU Development Strategy Affirmed by Advisory Committee

2024.12.16

Left to right: Ying-Chun Wu (吳迎春), Wu-Fu Chen (陳五福), Tzu Hsien Tung (童子賢), Chao-Shiuan Liu (劉兆玄), NTHU president W. John Kao (高為元), Kung-Yee Liang (梁賡義), Mei-Yin Zhou (周美吟), and Yu-Shan Wu (吳玉山).

On December 6, the Development Advisory Committee at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan unanimously adopted a plan in which each college will independently form an interdisciplinary team to showcase the school's achievements in teaching, research, and academic innovation.

The nine committee members at the meeting were: Yu-Shan Wu (吳玉山) of Academia Sinica; Ying-Chun Wu (吳迎春), chair of CommonWealth magazine; Mei-Yin Zhou (周美吟), vice president of Academia Sinica; Chao-Shiuan Liu (劉兆玄), former president of NTHU; Wu-Fu Chen (陳五福), chairman of Acorn Campus; Tzu Hsien Tung (童子賢), chairman of Pegatron Corporation; Tsuhan Chen (陳祖翰), vice president of the National University of Singapore; Kung-Yee Liang (梁賡義) of Academia Sinica; and Yong-Fen Hsieh (謝詠芬), chairperson of Materials Analysis Technology.

Showcasing interdisciplinary innovation at NTHU

In terms of medical technology, NTHU's nuclear reactor has already been used to conduct boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for more than 500 patients, and cooperation is underway with Mackay Hospital to initiate the world's first use of BNCT technology to treat liver cancer. Tzu Hsien Tung (童子賢) suggested that NTHU should make the most of its key intellectual property rights to play a leading role in conducting and developing related research.

The College of Life Sciences and Medicine and the College of Education are planning to jointly establish a program in clinical psychology to help meet the demand for the approximately 4,000 clinical psychologists hired every year in Taiwan. Ying-Chun Wu (吳迎春) suggested that research should be expanded to include psychological counseling and related services for the elderly to meet the needs of an aging society.

The Committee also affirmed a plan to expand cooperation between the College of Technology Management and the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science in the fields of science, technology, politics, and economics. Mei-Yin Zhou (周美吟) suggested that the curriculum should give more emphasis to the humanities and social sciences to enhance graduates' level of cultural literacy.

Keeping apace of emerging trends in AI

In order to cultivate AI literacy, the School of Education and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences have designed two compulsory courses on the applications and ethics of AI based on the UNESCO framework. They also offer a variety of elective courses covering AI ethics and safety.

Committee member Yu-Shan Wu (吳玉山) suggested that AI courses should be made available to all teachers and students at NTHU, and that education in AI ethics should be strengthened for science and engineering students. Based on international trends in education, Tsuhan Chen (陳祖翰) suggested providing “digital resilience” education to enhance students' ability to make skillful use of digital technology.

Kung-Yee Liang (梁賡義) pointed out the need to strengthen students' social awareness and independent thinking ability. Wu-Fu Chen (陳五福) said that universities need to be seen as a trustworthy source of information while educating students in the appropriate use of AI.

Expanding industry-academia cooperation in semiconductor research

The College of Semiconductor Research (CoSR) currently has 18 teaching units and centers, and the first batch of graduates have already entered the job market. Mei-Yin Zhou (周美吟) suggested combining policy guidance with self-guided integration to promote research cooperation. Chao-Shiuan Liu (劉兆玄) mentioned that the outstanding contributions of CoSR dean Burn Lin have opened the door to some significant opportunities for development in the field. Yong-Fen Hsieh (謝詠芬) suggested cooperating with equipment manufacturers to establish a demonstration and training center.

Promoting sustainable development and comprehensive education

The College of Sustainability brings together sustainable technology, climate policy, and carbon management to deepen the school's cooperation with both the government and business enterprises. Yu-Shan Wu (吳玉山) affirmed that NTHU's evolution, which developed from an initial focus on science and engineering to become a comprehensive university, provides valuable experience for dealing with the challenges of environmental sustainability and geopolitics.

Kung-Yee Liang (梁賡義) proposed applying the ideals of “adapting measures to local conditions” and “being grounded” to deal with issues such as cultural and religious diversity, and enhance students' perspectives and their level of cultural literacy.

Promoting interdisciplinary study and innovative thinking

Yong-Fen Hsieh (謝詠芬) suggested setting up an interdisciplinary lecture series featuring outstanding alumni as a way of deepening innovative thinking and cross-disciplinary education and research. The meeting also touched on the importance of leveraging the respective strengths of NTHU's various campuses to build a world-class research university.

NTHU president W. John Kao (高為元) thanked the committee members for their suggestions and said that providing students with a global perspective requires upholding the principle of humanistic education, continuing to promote diversified development across different fields, and striking a balance between basic research and applied development.