National Chung Cheng University

History

National Chung Cheng University was the first public university established after Taiwan's economic boom of the 1980s. In 1986, in order to promote research and to develop higher education in the Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan areas, the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) approved a plan to establish a strongly research-oriented university in Chiayi. It was named after Chiang Kai-shek, whose given name was Chung-cheng, and officially founded on July 1, 1989. Lin Ching-Jiang (林清江) served as its first president.

Lin established the original five colleges: namely, the College of Humanities, the College of Sciences, the College of Social Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the College of Management. He stepped down in 1996, and was succeeded by Guo-Shuen Jeng (鄭國順, 1997–2001), who in turn was succeeded by Ren C. Luo (羅仁權, 2001–2008).

Jyh-Yang Wu (吳志揚), a mathematics professor, is the current president. Wu's most significant academic accomplishment is the Grove-Petersen-Wu Finiteness Theorem.

Profile

National Chung Cheng University is alone among Taiwan universities in devoting itself primarily to the most basic fields of scholarship: physics, chemistry, biology, economics, mathematics, philosophy, history, and literature. In Taiwan, only National Chung Cheng University and National Taiwan University are able to offer a complete, traditional liberal arts curriculum, a curriculum similar in spirit to that of the University of Chicago's Common Core.

One of the distinctive aspects of National Chung Cheng University's liberal arts program is that it is the only university in Asia that provides a complete course of study in Analytic Philosophy. Philosophy of this type predominates among most of the highly ranked universities in North America, Great Britain, and Australia. This philosophical approach establishes strong links with the other core fields of scholarship, including the empirical sciences, mathematics, law, and linguistics.

CCU is the first in Taiwan to establish a TEAL (technology enabled active learning) classroom. It is modeled after the design used at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In construction of a multi-media facility, through its personal response system, and by installation of the software program, TEAL not only helps to increase class attendance, it also promotes student engagement with the class content.

Collaboration with universities in Taiwan

Recently, the university has forged a Taiwan T4 Alliance with the three other main research-intensive universities in central and southern Taiwan--National Cheng Kung University, National Sun Yat-sen University, and National Chung Hsing University. Purposes of this alliance include: pooling of educational resources, promotion of collaborative research with local industries, and the fostering of inter-university research projects.

International collaboration

CCU is also involved in multiple forms of international collaboration. For example, the College of Engineering is now working with the German gear manufacturer, Klingelnberg GmbH, to develop a quality analysis software for bevel gear. And, included among its partner universities are: University of Pittsburgh (US), Indiana University (Bloomington) (US), UCLA (US), Tohoku University (Japan), and Korea University (Korea).

Rankings

Although it is only 20 years old, among the more than 160 universities in Taiwan, its research performance is annually ranked among the top 5%. To illustrate this point, note that the National Science Council of Taiwan, when evaluating research project applications, rated Chung Cheng University as number 8, nationwide, for the four-year period from 2003 to 2007. In the 2010 Times Higher Education QS Asian rankings, the university advanced 30 places relative to its 2009 ranking.

Within Taiwan, National Chung Cheng University has pioneered research into and the pedagogy of such diverse disciplines as opto-mechatronics and chemical engineering, criminology, and seismology. The university also has highly ranked Colleges of Law, Management, and Engineering. In 2010, the Computer Science Program was ranked number eight and the Electrical Engineering Program was ranked number nine, nationwide, by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan. Moreover, the university library is well suited for research: when ranked for both the provision of services and total resources (collections, personnel, expenditures, and buildings) it is among the top four in Taiwan.

CCU has been ranked as the best school in Taiwan at protecting student rights. Results of a survey conducted by the 1111 Human Resources Institute, published in July 2010, indicate that the university has advanced seven places (from 16th to 9th), when comparing on-the-job performance of recent graduates.

Accreditation spring 2010

In the spring of 2010, all departments were formally accredited by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (aka HEEACT). HEEACT began the process of systematically reviewing university departments and institutes in the Spring of 2007.

The setting

The university is located in north-central Chiayi County, one of Taiwan's main agricultural areas. It is fifteen kilometers (or approximately ten miles) away from the city of Chiayi, and just a bit farther from the Taiwan High Speed Rail Station that is located in Taibao. The campus sits atop a hill overlooking the township of Min-Hsiung, which is home to the Chiayi Performing Arts Center. The university is within convenient driving distance of many other attractions as well: to the east is the Alishan National Scenic Area of Chiayi, one of the most beautiful mountain districts in the world; to the west are various coastal towns along the Taiwan Strait, such as Budai, Chiayi, which is famous for its fish market; and, to the northwest, on the border with Yunlin County, is the township of Beigang, home to the oldest Mazu Temple in Taiwan, Chaotian Temple. Annually, on Mazu's birthday, which is the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month (as early as mid-April or as late as early May), pilgrims flock to Beigang by the thousands to participate in the spectacular festival.

The campus itself

The campus itself is one of the most beautiful in Taiwan, noted both for its greenery and its distinctive architecture. Among the many species of tree are the Bengal almond, the cotton tree, the Spanish flag, and the silk floss. Among the more striking edifices is the pyramid-shaped Administration Building, which is located at the campus center. No less impressive is the eight-story Library and Information Building, that has been rated as one of the five best university libraries in Taiwan. It was designed by the eminent architect Chiu-Hwa Wang (王秋華). Adjacent to the library is the gymnasium, which includes a fitness center, an indoor Olympic-size pool, and an outdoor pool. It is one of the best sports complexes in Taiwan. Near the entrance to the university is the Student Activity Center, which borders Tranquility Lake, a lake populated by a gaggle of black swans. This area has become a popular scenic spot for visitors and residents of the nearby community.

Organization

Facilities near the University

Students' Association

The National Chung Cheng University Student Association (CCUSA) consists of Executive Center, the Student Council, the Advisory Committee. The President of CCUSA represents the students in Chung Cheng University and the outside world. The Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat of the CCUSA, acting as the spokesperson and leader of the Executive Center. The Student Council, acting as an administrative supervision division, represents students from departments. The association is affiliated to the Taiwan T4 Alliance Student Association.

Officers

Media

Chung Cheng E Newspapers:

Alumni