President Shen Mengru presides over the annual Teachers’ Day celebration ceremony

As Teachers’ Day approaches, National Cheng Kung University expresses gratitude to its faculty for their dedication and contributions to improving teaching and research quality. On September 25, the university held the 113th Academic Year Teachers’ Day Celebration Ceremony. A total of eight major awards were presented, including the Teacher’s Award, Honorary Professorships, Outstanding Teaching Awards, and Outstanding Awards in Teaching Innovation and University Social Responsibility, with 159 faculty members receiving honors. President Shen Mengru stated that German educator Friedrich Fröbel once described education as “nothing but love and example.” The “example” refers to role modeling through behavior. Regardless of external changes, teachers must maintain good role modeling so students can learn from them—this is a shared value among educators.

President Shen Mengru presents the 113th Teacher’s Award to Professor Guo Naiwen from the Institute of Behavioral Medicine (right)

The celebration ceremony, themed “Happy Campus, Flourishing Excellence,” was held in a bright and warm atmosphere. Accompanied by the clear and melodious performance of the NCKU Chinese Music Club, the venue reflected the gentle, nurturing influence of teachers. This year, the university recognized 1 recipient of the Ministry of Education Teacher’s Award, 4 honorary professors, 29 senior outstanding teachers, 45 outstanding teaching award recipients, 38 outstanding awards in teaching innovation and university social responsibility, 6 general education outstanding teachers, 32 outstanding mentors across the university and excellent mentors in each college, and 4 recipients of the award encouraging publication in top international journals. President Shen Mengru, Vice Presidents Zhuang Weizhe, Chen Yunü, Li Junzhang, and Chen Hongzhen served as award presenters in sequence.

Vice President Zhuang Weizhe (left) presents the Senior Outstanding Teacher Award

In his speech, President Shen recalled that when he first began teaching, he once asked a senior educator how to be a good teacher. The senior replied, “It is difficult,” because maintaining proper role modeling is not easy. At the time, President Shen did not fully understand the meaning and impact of “role modeling” in education. In recent years, however, the role of teachers has been challenged significantly—for example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching reduced face-to-face interaction, and students may have engaged in passive or less engaged learning online. Yet academic performance remained similar to traditional learning. He reflected, “In the face of the technological era, we as teachers must ask ourselves what values remain unchanged.”

He further added that alumni are the university’s greatest asset. Many alumni express gratitude to their alma mater and faculty, often recalling the focused expression of their teachers during lectures. Although much of the lecture content may have been forgotten, the teacher’s dedication and attitude left a lasting impression, shaping students to become grounded and diligent in their professional lives.

Vice President Chen Yunü (third from left) presents the Outstanding Teaching Award

President Shen subsequently presented awards including the 113th Ministry of Education Teacher’s Award and honorary professorships.

Professor Guo Naiwen from the Institute of Behavioral Medicine, recipient of the Teacher’s Award, expressed heartfelt gratitude to NCKU for providing a supportive environment that allows faculty and students to grow, contribute, and trust one another. She shared that when she once applied for a public award through NCKU, she was required to attend an in-person review presentation and could not substitute it with a recording. At that time, she was abroad, and she deeply appreciated a colleague from the College of Engineering who represented her. She successfully received the award. She also thanked her students, who—even after graduation and while living in different parts of the world—continue to interact online, discuss academic topics, and help maintain the “Mental Health Learning Platform,” which has accumulated over 10.37 million page views and is recognized as one of the most authoritative platforms of its kind in the Chinese-speaking world.

Vice President Li Junzhang (center) presents the Outstanding Mentorship Awards across colleges

Subsequently, Vice President Zhuang Weizhe presented awards for faculty with 40 and 30 years of service. Vice President Chen Yunü presented Outstanding Teaching Awards, Teaching Innovation and University Social Responsibility Awards, and General Education Outstanding Teaching Awards. Vice President Li Junzhang presented Outstanding Mentorship Awards across the university and colleges. Vice President Chen Hongzhen presented the Award for Publication in Top International Journals. The 113th Teachers’ Day Celebration Ceremony concluded successfully in a simple, solemn, and dignified atmosphere.

Vice President Chen Hongzhen (second from left) presents the Award for Publication in Top International Journals

【List of Award Recipients for the 113th Academic Year Teachers’ Day Celebration】

College of Medicine — Institute of Behavioral Medicine — Professor Guo Naiwen

College of Liberal Arts — Graduate Institute of Art — Professor Shi Deyu

College of Engineering — Department of Civil Engineering — Professor Ni Shenghuo

College of Planning and Design — Department of Industrial Design — Professor Xiao Shiwen

College of Medicine — Department of Nursing — Professor Xu Biqing

College of Engineering — Department of Mechanical Engineering — Professor Lin Zhenming

College of Engineering — Department of Aerospace Engineering — Professor Zhao Yiqin

College of Engineering — Department of Aerospace Engineering — Professor Miao Junyi

College of Planning and Design — Department of Architecture — Professor Lin Xiande

College of Management — Institute of Sports, Health and Recreation — Professor Wang Linghua (Retired Feb. 1, 2024)

College of Liberal Arts — Department of Chinese Literature — Associate Professor Qiu Xiaoping

College of Liberal Arts — Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures — Professor Lu Huijuan

College of Science — Department of Earth Sciences — Professor Jiang Weide

College of Engineering — Department of Chemical Engineering — Professor Lin Ruizhe

College of Engineering — Department of Chemical Engineering — Professor Zhang Jianxiang (Outstanding Mentor)

College of Engineering — Department of Chemical Engineering — Professor Zhang Jiaxiu

College of Engineering — Department of Materials Science and Engineering — Professor Chen Yingan

College of Engineering — Department of Civil Engineering — Professor Li Yuxin

College of Engineering — Department of Civil Engineering — Professor Zhu Shenghao

College of Engineering — Department of Biomedical Engineering — Professor Zheng Youren

College of Engineering — Department of Surveying and Spatial Information — Professor Hong Ronghong

College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science — Department of Electrical Engineering — Professor Liang Congzhu

College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science — Department of Electrical Engineering — Professor Zhu Shengyuan

College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science — Department of Electrical Engineering — Professor Huang Shijie

College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science — Department of Electrical Engineering — Professor Cai Zhiming

College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science — Department of Computer Science — Professor Chen Yumin

College of Planning and Design — Department of Urban Planning — Professor Chen Yanzhong

College of Management — Department of Accounting — Professor Xu Liqun

College of Medicine — Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology — Professor Zhuang Weizhe

College of Medicine — Department of Parasitology — Professor Xin Zhiwei

College of Medicine — Department of Internal Medicine — Professor Chen Caiyun

College of Medicine — Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology — Professor Wang Zhenren

College of Medicine — Department of Nursing — Professor Xu Biqing

College of Bioscience and Biotechnology — Department of Life Sciences — Professor Chen Honghua

College of Science — Department of Physics — Professor Liang Yongcheng

College of Engineering — Department of Materials Science and Engineering — Chair Professor Huang Zhaorui

College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science — Department of Computer Science — Professor Lian Zhenjie

College of Management — Institute of International Business — Associate Professor Zeng Qionghui

College of Medicine — Department of Physiology — Professor Zhang Yawen

College of Medicine — Department of Anatomy — Professor Guo Yumin

Source: NCKU News Center