Universities in Taiwan are going above and beyond to distinguish themselves outside the classroom.
With its steadfast commitment to the welfare of others, Tzu Chi University (TCU) sets itself apart from the roughly 150 institutions of higher learning in Taiwan as a shining example of altruism. Its charitable reputation has earned the school in the eastern county of Hualien recognition on the global stage. In the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings—designed to assess universities’ efforts toward realizing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—TCU placed 32nd on contributions to SDG3, which calls on the world to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
TCU student volunteers conduct health checkups for senior citizens and tutor disadvantaged schoolchildren. (Photos courtesy of TCU)
“Volunteerism is a long-standing tradition at TCU,” university president Ingrid Liu (劉怡均) said. “Students here engage in more volunteer work than at any other university in Taiwan. Activities include everything from promoting healthy lifestyles and anti-drug education in local communities to tutoring disadvantaged children.”
TCU is not alone in building up a distinctive school identity. Other colleges and universities around Taiwan are creating similar names for themselves on the back of traits like close regional ties or transdisciplinary learning. Such efforts echo the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Sustained Progress and Rise of Universities in Taiwan (SPROUT) initiative, which encourages schools to achieve prominence by cultivating their respective strengths.
Founded by Hualien-based Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist organization known for its vast network of volunteers spanning the globe, TCU encourages benevolent acts by offering courses that foster related skills among the student body and inviting foundation members to speak on campus about their personal stories of helping people in need. “Representing a wide array of professions, members also assist students by sharing work experience or providing internship opportunities,” Liu said. When the MOE honored 30 individuals and six teams from universities around Taiwan for their outstanding volunteer work in 2020, half of the awardees in each category were from TCU. On average, each of the school’s 3,400 students makes an impressive 29 volunteer trips per year, according to Liu.
The majority of international students at National University of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan hail from Southeast Asia. (Photo courtesy of National University of Kaohsiung)
Bridging Borders
While TCU has made the betterment of society its raison d’etre, National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) in the southern city has long focused on growing ties with regional neighbors. The school opened its Department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management a year after NUK was founded in 2000, and it has since forged alliances with a total of 148 universities in Southeast Asia. Recruitment drives also specifically target the region, with degree and nondegree seekers from Southeast Asia accounting for 90 percent of all international students at the university. “The Indo-Pacific is a potential laden area with a considerable demographic dividend. We hope to familiarize Taiwan’s younger generations with the economic climate and market environment to boost mutually beneficial business collaboration,” said Wu Hsing-hao (吳行浩), dean of NUK’s Office of International Affairs. In comparison, most other universities in Taiwan only began actively attracting Southeast Asian students after 2010, he added.
Following the government’s implementation of the New Southbound Policy (NSP), NUK further strengthened regional connections with the establishment of its Center for Southeast Asia Research in 2017. A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the NSP seeks to deepen the country’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. The university went on to launch a liaison office in Medan, Indonesia, in 2018 and plans to set up an overseas unit of its Science and Technology Research Center for Disaster Reduction in Manila. “Taiwan and the Philippines are both prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons. The proposed facility is expected to facilitate experience sharing and cooperation between the two countries, enhancing disaster preparedness and helping save lives,” Wu said.
Students are encouraged to think outside the box at the Graduate Institute of Transdisciplinary Arts at National Taipei University of the Arts. (Photo courtesy of National Taipei University of the Arts)
NUK’s latest outreach project was the Asia Virtual Academy, held in April and May in partnership with National Chunghsin University in central Taiwan and three sister schools in Southeast Asia. Topics covered ranged from the development of startups in the Philippines to the role of universities in combating climate change. According to Wu, more schools at home and abroad are set to join the project when its second edition commences in the fall. “The move online greatly opens up possibilities for broadening our reach in neighboring countries,” Wu said. “We’ll be able to bring together more students across the region than ever before.”
Spanning Spheres
National Taipei University of the Arts (NTUA) is likewise setting itself apart with its distinct approach to education. The school is not only one of the top art institutions in Taiwan, but also a trailblazer in promoting transdisciplinary learning. “Our school has been encouraging students to think outside the box by traversing the boundaries of traditional specializations for years,” said university president Chen Kai-huang (陳愷璜). “We were one of the first in the country to jump on the ever-growing global trend.”
NTUA began the drive to bridge disciplines by opening its Center for Art and Technology in 1992. In 1999 the university expanded its initiative with the inauguration of its Graduate Institute of Transdisciplinary Arts. Tasked with broadening students’ horizons, the institute encourages experimentation in art creation and curation.
To round out offerings at all levels, NTUA launched the undergraduate Music and Image Transdisciplinary Program this year, which aims to nurture top-quality talent for the country’s animation and movie industries. Two transdisciplinary miniprograms designed to boost career prospects were initiated at the same time, respectively cultivating students’ business management and digital technology skills. “Many artists can create great works but don’t know how to market themselves. We think the programs can go a long way toward remedying that problem,” said Jennie Lin (林姿瑩), NTUA’s dean of research and development.
Installation artworks displayed at Taipei’s Treasure Hill Artist Village in March are the joint effort of students from NTUA, National Taiwan University and Shih Chien University who participated in this year’s Light Weight workshop. (Photos courtesy of NTUA)
The university is also working with other schools to promote innovative collaborations. Notable examples include tie-ups between NTUA’s Department of New Media Art and Taipei City-based National Taiwan University’s Department of Civil Engineering and Shih Chien University’s Department of Architecture. The three-way cooperation has been holding an annual workshop called Light Weight since 2018, with this year’s three-week edition culminating in a joint installation show at the capital’s Treasure Hill Artist Village.
“Beginning in the 1990s, the world has seen a growing trend of non-art majors crossing over into the art sphere. Transdisciplinary thinking has also taken off in Taiwan during that time,” Chen said. Similarly, NUK’s ambition to build links with Southeast Asia is now shared by universities across the country, and Taiwan’s college students are no stranger to contributing to good causes like those at TCU. “Universities are important breeding grounds for new ideas that later spread through society,” said NUK’s Wu. “The need for schools in Taiwan to stand out amid a highly competitive environment is a great asset for the country as a whole.”
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw