News--Welcome to National Chiayi University

　　The Ministry of Education (MOE) enacted the policy of “merging of national educational institutes” with a view to minimizing the impact of declining birthrate. National Chiayi University marks the first comprehensive university in Taiwan that is a result of “merging of national educational institutes.” A delegation from the Control Yuan arrived at the main campus of NCYU on the afternoon of Jan. 26th to inspect the substantial benefits of integration of educational resources and learning outcomes of the students after the merging in 2000. Led by organizer Bao Tzong-Ho, the Control Yuan delegation consisted of 12 members of the Education and Culture Committee, and President Chang Po-Ya, accompanied by guests of honor including MOE Political Deputy Minister Chen Der-Hwa, and Lee Yen-Yi, Director General of the Department of Higher Education.

　　Under the introduction of NCYU President Chiou Yi-Yuan, members of the Control Yuan first inspected several teaching units such as the NCYU China Painting Studio, the first china painting art studio established by a university in Taiwan; Horticultural Technology Center, which showcases pioneering Phalaenopsis research and breeding capacities in Taiwan; and Animal Experiment Farm, which produces one of the lowest-priced fresh milk in Taiwan. The visit to the teaching units on site allowed them to know more about the teaching facilities, student internship conditions, and the graduates’ employment status and future careers.

　　In his briefing, NCYU President Chiou indicated that the university is a result of continuous innovation and merger of Chiayi Junior Teachers College and National Chiayi Institute of Technology 15 years ago. All the six colleges boast diversity and advantages of their own, utilizing the wealth of resources of humanities, biotechnology, agriculture and fishery in the local areas. The university is listed among the top ten colleges and universities nationwide for which most candidates apply personally. With its solid foundation of 15 years’ experience, NCYU launches its “Three-5 Hope Project,” an initiative for the coming 15 years. It takes 15 years to fulfill the development objectives, including “innovative transformation” for the first five years; collaborative “effective governance” from teachers and students for the second five years; and “sustainable development” for the third five years.

　　After visiting various teaching units at NCYU, the Control Yuan members expressed their acknowledgement of the hard work and accomplishments of the university for the past 15 years, which are reason enough for it to serve as a model in terms of “merging of national educational institutes.” They were especially amazed at the way dairy cows from the Animal Experiment Farm associate closely with humans. Wu Jian-Ping, Chairman of the Department of Animal Science, explained that all the dairy cows are like pets for the students of the department, who, in the course of their college years, have participated in milking the newborns and rearing them to adulthood. That was why you could occasionally see the students running with the calves around the barn.

　　Wu Jian-Ping said it is an effective way to reduce the odor by separating manure and urine with nets in the goat barn and covering the floor of the calf barn with sawdust produced by the Department of Wood Materials and Design, NCYU. The cow and goat manure, which, after being processed, will be turned into organic fertilizers for campus flowers and trees. After feeding on professionally formulated food, the dairy cows will yield meat with a perfect balance of lean meat and fat content.

　　The members of the Control Yuan acknowledged the fact that NCYU was awarded “Exemplary Moral Education-based School of the Year 2015” by MOE, especially in the difficult times for the educational world. They also expected the university to serve as a national paradigm by integrating family and social education in the future.

　　During the panel discussion, the Control Yuan members offered valuable suggestions and voiced their expectations for NCYU in a wide spectrum of issues: the major development objectives for the International College, integration of local resources for the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, a better linkage between the Enterprise Incubation Center and characteristics of each of its colleges and departments, teachers’ academic achievements, recruitment of teachers with both academic and practical experience, and even the planning of Kano Baseball Cultural Creative Hall.