113th Academic Year Department Heads Meeting: Building a Collaborative and Winning Team

The 113th Academic Year Department Heads Meeting was held on September 5 at the Ninth International Conference Hall, presided over by President Wei Wang, with nearly 130 department heads in attendance. This meeting continued the theme of the August 16 "Collaborative Learning - Summer Education Training" on "Developing Characteristic Teaching and Building a Collaborative Team." President Wang encouraged and expected every attending department head to work together, emphasizing the importance of staying true to their roles in the teaching field, ensuring that every teacher takes good care of every student and teaches them well, as this is their responsibility.

The meeting was divided into three main parts: "Key Reports on University Affairs," "Expectations and Experience Sharing for Department Heads," and "Feng Chia Teaching Characteristics." The "Key Reports on University Affairs" were presented by Jingxian Gao, Executive Director of the Office of Construction Planning and Operations Management, who reported on the progress of the Gongshan Academy project. The Gongshan Building will be officially inaugurated in February 2025, symbolizing Feng Chia University's commitment to creating a sustainable campus that combines the passion and ideals of higher education. This was followed by a presentation from Chief Human Resources Officer Zhaozhan Wu, who explained the current demands for talent succession in the higher education environment and the university's proactive recruitment and hiring strategies. Finally, Dean of Academic Affairs Jianyi Cai discussed the promotion of EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) Teaching and the planning for cultivating students' digital autonomous learning abilities, as well as the continuous attention to the learning outcomes of freshmen and providing timely guidance to reduce frustration.

The highlight of the first half of the meeting was Vice President Shuting Li's sharing of "Expectations and Experience Sharing for Department Heads." Vice President Li shared her journey as a department head, how she attracted resources and attention from industry, government, academia, and international sources, and concluded with a quote from architect Ji Pan, "Never give up even after 100 failures," encouraging department heads to be responsible, passionate, and persistent. Despite being in a competitive environment, only by finding the right strategy can they see opportunities.

In the second half, eight department heads took turns sharing how they plan to actively and effectively promote "Feng Chia Teaching Characteristics" in the next academic year, continuously improving course execution, planning for part-time teaching assistants, and strengthening student-centered learning support and the planning and implementation of innovative academic systems (interdisciplinary). Through these three main themes, the meeting aimed to build consensus between administrative and teaching units, jointly promote university affairs, and strengthen the student-centered educational philosophy to enhance teaching effectiveness.

The nearly three-hour meeting was attended by Chairman Chengshu Gao, who listened to various reports throughout. Chairman Gao emotionally stated, "Everyone is equal before education," emphasizing that the most valuable aspect of Feng Chia is its people - teachers, colleagues, students, and alumni, who build and maintain relationships with each other. The school's construction is for all students, and Feng Chia students come from families with diverse backgrounds. As long as students are willing, they can stay at the school from morning to night, using the school's software, hardware, and library resources.

At the end of the meeting, President Wang expressed special thanks to the Board of Trustees for their support. The Gongshan Building exemplifies Feng Chia University's passion and ideals for education, and this passion and ideals must be supported by everyone. Only then can they truly break through the current difficult higher education situation. President Wang quoted Chairman Gao, saying that they face a very challenging and severe future, but where there's a will, there's a way. As long as students enter Feng Chia, everyone is equal and enjoys the same resources. Let them use their passion for life to inspire more lives. With everyone's efforts, Feng Chia University will undoubtedly become a unique university.

Nearly 130 department heads participated in the 113th Academic Year Department Heads Meeting, building consensus between administrative and teaching units to jointly promote university affairs.