Each spring as vernal breezes stir the campus back to life, NTU's countless azaleas burst into a profusion of floral fireworks heralding the return of the NTU Azalea Festival. As our university flower, the papery azalea marks the annual celebration of all things NTU during the entire month of March with a colorful offering of fun and fascinating activities.

The month-long festival comes to a climax on March 14-15 with the two-day Departments Expo and Student Clubs Expo. Highlighting the close cooperation being cultivated through the new NTU Triangle Alliance, NTU President Pan-Chyr Yang, President Kuo-En Chang of National Taiwan Normal University, and President Ching-Jong Liao of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology joined together in leading the opening ceremony for the expositions. Exciting performances presented by the NTU Cheerleading Club and the students of NTU Preschool enlivened the ceremony with pulsating energy and lively fun.

That same weekend, many other events were held in coordination with the department and student club expositions. They included campus tours for senior high school students, exclusive events for returning alumni, as well as NTU's first ever 50-year reunion. The NTU Library and NTU Museums Group also organized an offering of guided tours and activities for the annual event, among them a Solar Terms Workshop at the Agricultural Exhibition Hall and tours of the Prof. Iso Memorial House.

In addition, this year's Azalea Festival featured a special activity designed to symbolize the special relationship that NTU, NTNU, and NTUST are fostering through the NTU Triangle Alliance. Called the Revolving Festival, the event was a first-of-its-kind bicycle tour connecting the three neighboring campuses in the morning of March 14. With the universities' three presidents leading the way, the participants pedaled from the NTU Main Gate to the NTNU and NTUST campuses before returning to the NTU Administrative Building for a giant group photo. Following the bike tour, Presidents Yang, Chang, and Liao joined together in leading the opening ceremony for the Azalea Festival as well as for the historic unveiling ceremony of the NTU Triangle Alliance plaque.