Institutional Development
Forward-Looking Strategies for University Growth and Innovation
In the face of rapid change, NCKU continues to uphold the words of its first president, Michitaka Wakatsuki: “Maintain a cool head, a broad mind, agile hands and feet, and the courage to take responsibility.” Rooted in Tainan and looking globally, the University uses knowledge as a bridge to connect the city and academia, actively pursuing pathways of sustainable and shared growth. In recent years, NCKU has placed interdisciplinarity at its core, integrating expertise within and beyond the University to collaborate with local governments, industries, and communities. These efforts promote resource sharing and policy alignment, strengthening the link between research and social practice across areas such as environmental sustainability, industrial transformation, cultural preservation, and smart technology applications—embodying the spirit of co-creation and sustainable development.
NCKU International Advisory Board
In 2025, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) convened its University International Advisory Board (UIAB), bringing together distinguished experts and scholars from academia and industry in Taiwan and abroad with extensive international reputations and governance experience to provide strategic advice on the University’s future development. At this pivotal moment as NCKU approaches its centennial anniversary, the University presented its vision, “NCKU Forever, Towards a Centennial,” and systematically reported to the Advisory Board on its key achievements in university governance and overall institutional development over the past two years.
These achievements center on four major pillars of advancement—education, research, international engagement, and industry collaboration—through which NCKU has promoted interdisciplinary teaching and research innovation, strengthened international academic and research linkages, and deepened industry–academia partnerships. In parallel, the University has continued to consolidate the foundations of sustainable development by advancing three core infrastructural initiatives: safeguarding the well-being of faculty and staff, expanding learning resources for students, and establishing campuses that integrate humanistic values and aesthetic education. Building upon these foundations, NCKU further outlined its strategic roadmap for the next five years, focusing on the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent equipped with professional expertise, humanistic literacy, AI competence, and leadership capabilities. This roadmap is designed to respond proactively to national priorities, including sustainable development, national security–related industries, major disasters, and public health challenges, while enhancing the University’s global engagement and international impact through strengthened partnerships and alignment with global best practices.
NCKU places equal emphasis on “hard power,” represented by interdisciplinary professional expertise, and “soft power,” reflected in the integration of humanistic education, life education, and aesthetic cultivation. In addition, AI literacy and leadership development are identified as indispensable core competencies for the future. While professional knowledge and humanistic grounding form an essential foundation, they are no longer sufficient in an era of rapid change. Accordingly, NCKU has actively incorporated AI literacy into its curricula and experiential learning environments, enabling students to understand, apply, and innovate with artificial intelligence, and to serve as key contributors to technology-driven social progress. Leadership education at NCKU extends beyond decision-making and execution to emphasize communication, coordination, and the ability to inspire teams, empowering students to demonstrate strategic vision and leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration. Through the integrated development of hard skills, soft skills, AI literacy, and leadership capacity, NCKU aspires to cultivate graduates who embody three core qualities: Teamwork, Compassion, and Resilience, enabling them to confidently navigate the complex challenges of the future.
Members of the University International Advisory Board expressed strong recognition of NCKU’s achievements over the past two years and its forward-looking strategic vision. They also offered valuable recommendations regarding student leadership development, internationalization strategies, and campus planning. Looking ahead, NCKU will continue to advance with “innovation as the driving force, interdisciplinarity as the approach, and sustainability as the vision,” steadily strengthening its institutional foundations, deepening international collaboration, and fulfilling its mission of applying science for the benefit of society, as it progresses toward becoming a globally influential centennial university.
