2024-09-24

National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) held the inauguration ceremony for the 8th president and announcement of the first-level supervisors. In his inaugural address, the new President, Chih-Peng Li, emphasized his commitment to "making NSYSU the premier university in southern Taiwan, akin to Harvard's stature" by upholding the visions of "Artistic & Inclusive, Advanced & Innovative" (AI)², and ensuring a balance between the development of humanities and sciences & technologies.

Distinguished guests, including Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng, Secretary-General of the Kaohsiung City Government Tien-Kuei Kuo, former NSYSU Presidents Victor Wei-Chi Liu and Hung-Duen Yang, as well as representatives from various sectors of industry, government, academia, faculty, and students, attended the inauguration ceremony to witness the event, creating a dignified yet warm atmosphere. NSYSU pointed out that the new President Chih-Peng Li holds a PhD in the School of Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in the United States and serves as a Distinguished Professor teaching at the Institute of Communications Engineering of NSYSU after returned to Taiwan in 2002. He was previously seconded to the Department of Engineering and Technologies of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) as Director General, and served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for General Affairs, Dean of the College of Engineering, and Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering at NSYSU. Additionally, Chih-Peng Li has been honored as an IEEE Fellow, and received the Outstanding Research Award of the Ministry of Science and Technology (now the NSTC), as well as the Outstanding Engineering Professors Award of the Chinese Institute of Engineers. Over the years, he has published more than 130 SCI journal papers (including over 100 IEEE journal papers) and over 120 conference papers (mostly from IEEE international conferences).

During his congratulatory address, the Minister of Education Ying-Yao Cheng humorously remarked, "The person daring to take on this heavy load is truly courageous!" He praised the new President, Chih-Peng Li, for his great courage and extended his heartfelt blessings. Chih-Peng Li emphasized that universities should thrive in harmony with their cities, much like Harvard University does with Boston. NSYSU should act as the driving engine for the city and provide diverse talents and innovative creativity, enabling Kaohsiung City to achieve greater potential. In recent years, the Kaohsiung City Government has been dedicated to attracting high-tech industries such as ASML, NVIDIA, and TSMC and advancing the Asia New Bay Area 5G AIoT Innovation Park project. Those initiatives require a university to provide ample talents and creativity, and NSYSU is poised to take on this role. 

"Making NSYSU the premier university in southern Taiwan, akin to Harvard's stature will be my lifelong commitment," Chih-Peng Li declared. He pointed out that thanks to the visionary leadership of the past presidents, who navigated through numerous challenges and implemented forward-looking plans, as well as the tireless dedications and efforts of all colleagues since its founding over forty-four years ago, the University has developed a robust campus culture and a strong foundation for academic and research excellence. With impressive performances in various national and international rankings in recent years, NSYSU now becomes a major academic institution in southern Taiwan and stands out proudly among top universities. Confronted with increasingly severe challenges and difficulties in higher education, NSYSU will strive to foster local collaborations for mutual prosperity, nurture talents and creativity needed for future transformation, and showcase the natural beauty and intellectual strength of southern Taiwan to the world. "Taking on this baton is an honor as well as a mission that requires both dedication and accountability," he said.

President Chih-Peng Li stated that he will realize the proposal in his election campaign to thoroughly implement the ten key strategies for governing the University. These include completing medical education by systematically establishing a medical center as the final piece of puzzle, aligning closely with national development policies to support urban development through NSYSU's expertise and resources, fostering a supportive environment for gender equity in both research and the workplace, recruiting outstanding new faculty while introducing appropriate retention of retiring faculty to ensure continued excellence in teaching and research, continuously developing a bilingual campus environment, promoting international exchanges and collaborations, and enhancing the enrollment of international master's and doctoral students to establish NSYSU as an academic hub with a global perspective. Furthermore, the new administrative team will also be committed to enriching the humanities and arts literacy on campus, cultivating a dynamic and healthy campus culture by supporting faculty and students' physical and mental well-being, and creating welcoming platforms to enhance communication and understanding both on and off campus, while strengthening the planning and implementation of fundraising to ensure the long-term stability and sustainability of NSYSU's future development.