Taiwanese Education Reaches New Milestone: National Chi Nan University President Wuu Dong Sing Awarded the Woodruff Prize, Committed to Enhancing Public Nature of Education

At the recent 2023 joint annual conference of the Taiwanese Educational and Academic Groups, President Wuu Dong Sing of National Chi Nan University was awarded the Woodruff Prize by the Taiwan Higher Education Society for his contributions to enhancing the public nature of higher education in Taiwan.

This award not only signifies high recognition for educational contributions but also encourages educational reform and innovation in Taiwan.

During the conference, President Wuu highlighted the importance of attention and protection for economically and culturally disadvantaged students. He shared his insights and thoughts on the current Taiwanese education system. President Wuu pointed out that higher education should not only be about knowledge sharing but should also be responsible for social equity and progress. His tenure as president has been dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by economically and culturally disadvantaged students, embodying the true essence of the public nature of higher education.

Since 2021, the Ministry of Education has been implementing the "Vision Project," providing opportunities for disadvantaged students (including those from low-income families in particular circumstances and those from near-poverty families) to attend public universities. President Wuu has significantly improved the living conditions of students in the Vision Project and provided scholarships through fundraising efforts amounting to 7 million NTD.

This year, establishing the "Department of Nursing" and the "College of Nursing and Health Welfare" has deepened the university's role in local practice and actively addressed the government's shortage of nursing talents. Recently, National Chi Nan University was honored with first place in the USR University Civic Public General Medium-sized Universities category by CommonWealth Magazine, demonstrating outstanding performance in promoting University Social Responsibility. NCNU is recognized as the leading brand in USR initiatives domestically and ranked 44th in the GreenMetric World University Ranking globally. Last year, it achieved the prestigious National Sustainability Award. In addition to continuing to promote the campus solar green electricity construction towards a net-zero goal, NCNU is also pushing forward student life convenience projects, such as dormitory renovation, a butler-style dormitory management BOT tender, comprehensive improvement of scooter and car lanes, the newly opened student cafeteria area, shared scooter rental, the 699 unlimited monthly passes for the local life circle of Changhua, Nantou, Miaoli, and direct campus access via Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, along with the intelligent campus service system for domestic/international students and alumni on Line@, and the ongoing initiative to bring national bus services directly into the campus.

In addition to his fruitful achievements in campus governance, President Wuu's personal excellence is also noteworthy. He was awarded the Ministry of Education's Teacher's Bell Award in 2015 and, after an 8-year hiatus, the Woodruff Prize this year; he is a two-time recipient of the National Science Council's Outstanding Research Award and a three-time recipient of the Outstanding Technology Transfer Contribution Award. Despite his daily dedication to university management, he has continued to produce numerous top-tier international journal papers in the past two years. President Wuu states that NCNU will continue to uphold its management model and positioning of combining global thinking with local practice, striving together with all students to build NCNU into a "refined and sustainable international university of distinction."