The inauguration ceremony of the “Office of Future NTU Initiatives.” From left to right: NTU Executive Vice President Wang-Ruu Tseng and Shih-Torng Ding; Minister of Education, Wen-Chung Pan; NTU President Wen-Chang Chen; and Vice President for Academic Affairs Hung-Jen Wang.
National Taiwan University (NTU) marked a major milestone in advancing the Ministry of Education’s “Future University Project" by inaugurating the "Office of Future NTU Initiatives" last September. This newly established “initiative office” will work to instill the ethos of the future university within NTU, focusing on implementing the concept of a "learner-centered open university." Externally, the office will actively disseminate this future university vision among universities and colleges around Taiwan by holding forums and workshops to spark conversations within the higher education sector concerning the cultivation of future talents.
The inauguration ceremony was graced by Minister of Education Wen-Chung Pan. In his remarks, Minister Pan emphasized the pivotal role of higher education in nurturing the nation's future talents and his optimism that NTU will create and experiment effective progressive educational programs to nurture word-class talents. He stressed, “It is my hope to see NTU share its experience in the Future University Initiatives with universities across Taiwan, revolutionizing higher education in Taiwan and turning this project into a wellspring of vitality for the nation’s future universities.”
NTU President Wen-Chang Chen noted that NTU launched the Future NTU Project in 2019, with breaking down the barriers between academic departments and championing a "learner-centered open university" as its core strategic direction. This approach is aimed to empower students to explore core curricula across the university based on their areas of interest, then chart unique personal learning journeys according to their aspirations using various university resources. NTU will continue to rally for this future university vision and strive to adopt suitable innovative educational ideas.
To help the leaders of domestic universities understand the concept and practices of Future Universities, the NTU Future University Forum on "Higher Education Curriculum Reform” was held on last October. Experts and scholars from overseas as well as domestic institutions were invited to share their experiences in curriculum reform and innovative practices in talent development. The forum organizers warmly welcomed participation from education institutions across Taiwan to raise awareness and foster meaningful discussions.
Bing-Yu Chen, Dean of D-School (first right), explaining the progress of the Future University Initiatives-related programs.
NTU representatives presenting key Future NTU Initiatives, including the College-level and University-level Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Programs, Trans-disciplinary Bachelor Degree Program, Specialization Program, NTU AR (Alumni Return & Recharge), Future Classroom, and NTU Academic Advising Office.
