News--Welcome to National Chiayi University

　　To save energy and reduce carbon emissions and to respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic that shows no sign of relenting, the selection and evaluation of the 2021 Nationwide Evaluation of College Student Clubs were carried out completely online for the first time. After internal evaluations, National Chiayi University recommended four student clubs to participate in the Nationwide Evaluation of College Student Clubs this year. All the four student clubs won outstanding results at the competition, standing out from the 247 groups of 134 colleges and universities across the country. The “Plant Research Club” won an excellence award in the group of academic and art clubs. The “Agronomy Volunteer Team” won an excellence award in the category of service-oriented clubs. The “Lantan Chinese Orchestra” was presented with an excellence award in the entertainment-oriented club category. Also noteworthy is that a total of 54 schools joined the selection of annual featured club activities, and NCYU has been winning the Best Featured Club Activity Award for three consecutive years. The award went to the “Department of Forestry and Natural Resources” this year.

　　In conjunction with the Higher Education Sprout Project of the Ministry of Education, NCYU is committed to the goal of “fulfilling social responsibilities” as a university, and encourages teachers and students to contribute to the society with the knowledge they have learned. For example, the Plant Research Club organized the food and agricultural education event, “Dongshan Herb Workshop,” at Tainan Municipal Dongshan Elementary School, where they instructed the pupils on how to grow herbs from cuttings. The Agronomy Volunteer Team held rural life experience camps for school children in East and West Districts of Chiayi City, which allowed them to experience early rural life during weekends. The event was expected to leave them with memorable happy memories. The student association of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources provided nature education for schools at all levels in the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan region at the unique spherical-shaped greenhouse, “NCYU Botanical Garden,” where the pupils enjoyed an interesting and enriching journey into the biological world. The Lantan Chinese Orchestra was the first “music” student club that proposed the project of “camp service activities for elementary and junior high schools in educational priority areas” to the Ministry of Education. With music and service as central ideas, they have been holding camp activities at elementary schools every winter and summer vacation on an annual basis. The club also worked with the Stringed and Woodwind Band from Nanhua University to present the “Euphony” concert at the NCYU Arts Festival 2020.

　　NCYU President Chyung Ay, who is very supportive of the development of student clubs, values the students’ learning effectiveness and competitiveness in the workplace after graduation. The goal is to fulfill the university’s philosophy of “serving the society with knowledge, spearheading improvement with technology, and beautifying life with humanities” as an educational institution. He is proactive to create a learning environment for students in an informal setting. Every year, student clubs are subsidized to purchase various hardware and software equipment and organize activities. The students are encouraged to use their spare time to join club activities, and grasp opportunities that align with personal interests and expertise. The objective is to prepare them for future careers by strengthening their diverse competitive advantages and soft power. He is proud to see the success of the clubs that participated in the competition this year.