NCKU Achieves Four First Places in 2024 University Brand Rankings, Recognized by Enterprises for Teamwork, Communication, and Adaptability
Written by Hsu Tsu-Yueh. Image credit to NCKU News Center.
Various university rankings were also released during the college entrance exam results revealed in late February. Following the release of the 2024 Enterprises’ Favorite College Students Survey Rankings by Cheers Magazine in January, in late February, Global Views and the 1111 Job Bank both released their respective versions of enterprise favorite rankings, and the 104 Job Bank released its University Brand Strength Report. National Cheng Kung University has achieved first place in all four rankings.
Society and industry recognize NCKU students for their ability to work, learn new things, and be resilient in the face of setbacks.
Recently, President Meng-Ru Shen pointed out in an interview that the recognition of NCKU students by society and industry is mainly due to their ability in teamwork, learning new things, and resilience in the face of setbacks. These abilities also appear as indicators in various institutional rankings. Global Views’ ranking indicators focus on enterprises' six most valued traits: work attitude, emotional intelligence, knowledge and skills, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities. According to the survey results of 1111 Job Bank, teamwork, communication skills, enthusiasm and resilience, and quick learning ability are most valued by employers. Meanwhile, Cheers Magazine presents nine indicators: professional knowledge and skills, international perspective and language abilities, strong willingness to learn and high adaptability, high resilience and stability, innovative ability, interpersonal communication and teamwork, problem-solving adaptability, ability to cross disciplines and integrate, and proficiency in digital tool applications.
The University Brand Strength Report by 104 Job Bank covers ten indicators: reputation, job competence, future potential, industry-academic collaboration, academic strength, character strengths, alum salaries, international research and development capabilities, and thesis influence. Enterprises regard these as “soft power.” Observing various institutional rankings, these indicators can be summarized as teamwork, communication skills, and problem-solving adaptability. By cultivating these qualities, NCKU shapes its image in the minds of students, parents, and businesses, gradually transforming it into a far-reaching brand influence.
NCKU achieved four first places in the 2024 Enterprise Favorite Rankings and University Brand Rankings, recognized by enterprises for teamwork, communication, and adaptability
Looking back at history, the founding President Wakatsuki Michitaka, in 1931, envisioned three qualities that students of this university should possess: broad-mindedness (cooperation), clear-mindedness (communication), and agility (adaptability). For over 90 years, the spirit of NCKU’s motto, “Veritas et Conscientia,” a Latin phrase meaning “Pursuit of truth through exhaustive reasoning,” has been passed down at the university, accumulating the ability to cooperate, communicate, and adapt to changing times. Building upon this foundation, President Meng-Ru Shen particularly emphasizes, since taking office, that besides nurturing professional competence, it is more critical for NCKU students to return to the “core of humanity”: kindness, integrity, and humility. Considering these perspectives, one can better understand why NCKU has consistently maintained its lead in these rankings rather than solely focusing on being “most favored” by corporations.
“NCKU students understand the principle that there are always others better than themselves, they are not arrogant, and they understand the importance of hard work and practical work." Executive Vice President Woei-Jer Chuang pointed out that teamwork and interpersonal communication are the most vital impressions of NCKU students in society. He emphasized that NCKU students have experience collaborating with companies while at the university, understanding the industry's requirements, and quickly integrating into corporate culture. Approximately 20-25% of NCKU’s research and development funds each year come from industry-academic collaboration projects, with approximately half of the university’s 1300 faculty members participating in joint projects with enterprises. In recent years, more than a thousand large, medium, and small enterprises have partnered with NCKU annually. Furthermore, joint research and development centers have been established with leading companies such as TSMC, Yageo, Quanta, Accton, AUO, LITE-ON, China Steel, Delta Electronics, and ASE, realizing a win-win strategy for cooperation between academia and industry.
The spirit of NCKU stretches out like the banyan trees, extending continuously, carrying forward the past, and paving the way for the future with stability.
Walking onto the campus of NCKU, many are often drawn to the lush and intricately intertwined banyan trees. Executive Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen expressed that the spirit of NCKU stretches out like the banyan trees, extending continuously, carrying forward the past and paving the way for the future with stability. These qualities are cultivated from the humanities, possessing both professional intelligence and communication skills and the ability to collaborate in teams and solve problems, filled with resilience. “In an increasingly competitive era, talent is the cornerstone of enterprises. Companies can't seek talent only based on obedience without considering their comprehensive abilities!” NCKU aims to nurture “knowledgeable individuals” needed by the nation and recognized by businesses rather than “robots,” Yuh-Neu Chen said with a smile.
From the university motto, “Veritas et Conscientia,” to its 90th-anniversary slogan, “Achieve Securely, Prosper Mutually,” there is an underlying pursuit of goodness and care for society. In terms of teaching, in addition to introducing the “Exploring Tainan” general education course which focuses on understanding history and caring for the land. NCKU leads the trend and becomes a model by starting head-first in promoting University Social Responsibility (USR) through unique USR programs even before the Ministry of Education began emphasizing its importance. There are over 3000 courses related to SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and social practices to date. In 2023, NCKU was awarded two first prizes in the Global Views Social Responsibility Awards for “Local Inclusion” and ”Well-being Coexistence.” This year, with five projects such as “Collaborative Badlands,” “Lunch Program for Rural Elementary Schools,” and “Tree Seekers,” among others, NCKU has become the school with the most projects shortlisted.
Over the years, the 220,000 alumni from home and abroad have become the best representatives of NCKU, showcasing the university’s cooperation, communication, and adaptability ability. Whether they stayed in Taiwan to contribute or returned to Taiwan to develop their careers after further studies abroad, senior alums who have created their business models are happy to mentor younger generations, working together to build their reputations. Walking onto the campus, the Magic School of Green Technologies Research Building, standing tall in the Li-Hsing campus, is a world-class energy-saving landmark jointly created by distinguished alumnus Bruce Cheng’s donation and the university, demonstrating NCKU’s commitment to sustainable development. Located in the Sheng-Li campus, the Macronix Hall, donated by distinguished alumnus Miin Wu, is the location for promoting interdisciplinary fields with a focus on intelligent computing and innovative research and development, revealing NCKU’s determination to innovate. Looking over the campus, these two landmarks echo the banyan trees in the Banyan Garden on the Kuang-Fu campus. This fully displays cooperation, communication, adaptability, and a concrete symbol of NCKU’s brand influence.
As a university rooted in Tainan, the historical capital, NCKU has embarked on building a responsible and trustworthy brand from its location. According to the 2023 World University Impact Rankings by the Times Higher Education (THE), NCKU ranked 24th globally, achieving the top spot in Taiwan for four consecutive years, indicating significant progress. However, facing the rapidly changing global landscape, NCKU understands that surpassing existing frameworks and overcoming obstacles relies on team cooperation. This is also a key concept continuously emphasized by President Meng-Ru Shen in promoting university affairs: through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and international collaboration, academic excellence can genuinely be achieved, fulfilling the purpose of serving society through science. Only through such efforts can NCKU deepen its influence and move towards becoming an international paradigm-setting university to lead the era.
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