TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) ranked first in Cheers Magazines’ “2022 University Performance Growth Top 20 Excellence Award” for building solid connections between academia and industry as well as for its sustainability strategies.
This is the first time NCKU has ranked first in the award's eight years, according to Cheers Magazine. The newly merged National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) ranked second, while National Taiwan University (NTU) ranked third. National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) ranked first each year from 2017 to 2021.
Major reasons contributing to NCKU, NYCU, and NTU’s rankings include programs designed around innovative technology such as artificial intelligence, engineering, biotechnology, and communication; abundant or growing research and development capacities; and efforts to implement social responsibility and sustainable development principles. NCKU was able to top the list due to its innovative courses that integrate industrial application, close connections with the government and industry, and a robust alumni network that actively gives back.
When asked how the university was able to match its policies and programs to the government’s “Grand South Plan,” which aims to boost south Taiwan’s economic and industrial development, NCKU President Su Huey-jen (蘇慧貞) said it was both “a coincidence and an inevitability.”
According to Su, the university had already been an important base for talents to gather to create industrial momentum. “Rather than responding to the Grand South Plan, NCKU has actually always viewed Taiwan and its position in the world from a southern Taiwan perspective.”
NCKU President Su Huey-jen (left) accepts Excellence Award from Cheers Magazine publisher Yin Yun-peng. (Taiwan News photo)
As a university that strives to have a global outlook, one of the most important issues NCKU had to address was whether it would be able to connect with the rest of the world, Su added. Therefore, the school ensures that its programs are in tune with global trends — and currently, two of the most prominent subjects are sustainability and social responsibility.
“With this as a starting point, we built our programs, spanning general education, regular education, professional education, and social connections and industrial influence,” Su said. “These core values become the basis of our programs, are executed through courses, and lead to connections with the world. This way, students are able to learn and grow while the university is able to contribute its energy to the world.”
Cheers Magazine has also conducted research on future trends for university-level education. It has concluded that in the post-pandemic era, digital learning and interdisciplinary studies will become major focuses, and universities will also have to demonstrate strong departmental styles, an emphasis on academia-industry connections, and a global vision to attract students.
Players in the field of higher education will also see new forms of competition, such as online programs that offer degrees and private business certificate programs. Meanwhile, businesses have begun to see the importance of lifelong learning, wrote the magazine, which found that 82% of human resource executives from Taiwan’s top 2,000 businesses believe employees should take “upskilling” or “reskilling” courses each year.