NTU is anticipating the official opening of the D. School in September. This new institute of design aims to bring together students from various disciplines who have the ambition of starting their own companies. Under the guidance of professional instructors, the school's students will put their creativity and ideas into practice and have experiences that will benefit their future entrepreneurial pursuits.

Meanwhile, the university is providing students more flexibility in selecting courses by making reductions in credit hours for required courses. Also, having studied educational systems around the globe, we are planning to shorten NTU's current 18-week academic semester to 15 weeks. Our introduction of flipped classrooms on the other hand is promoting greater classroom discussion and giving students the practical skills they will need to demonstrate the fruits of their learning in the real world. I believe these efforts will foster the creativity of NTU students and cultivate their ability to analyze and respond to problems.

During last year's graduation ceremony, an NTU student from Japan took the stage to share her experience of joining the Taida community. Her words touched me deeply and I felt grateful that she had chosen to study at NTU and was able to benefit from her time here. A major factor that sets NTU most apart from other universities around the world is that we have preserved the quintessential elements of the traditional culture of ethnic-Chinese peoples, such as traditional Chinese characters. Moreover, not only does Taiwan offer an excellent living environment for international students, the environment enables us to freely discuss politics, economics, and culture. I believe it is this atmosphere of freedom in Taiwan that makes NTU the ideal platform for international students to learn about the ethnic-Chinese world. As a result, NTU hopes to attract ever greater numbers of international students to our campus, providing a bridge that allows students from around the world to learn about Eastern culture.

In coordination with the plan to shorten our academic semesters, we will be adding short-term winter and summer courses. These condensed and fascinating courses will draw international students who are interested in gaining insight into the essence of ethnic-Chinese culture.