Since the Ministry of Education launched its University Social Responsibility (USR) Project in 2017, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has been actively encouraging the practice of social responsibility. The university’s Center for Cross Domain Development is providing teachers and students with a strong backing, and large amount of subsidizations have been designated towards the incubation of USR projects on campus. As a result, instead of only burying their heads in academic research, teachers and students are able to get seriously involved in local care and problem solving in Pingtung. Following a review, in 2023 the Ministry of Education announced the results of the third installment of the USR Project, and NPUST was very pleased with the outcome. All five projects which NPUST applied for were approved, and a total of 18 million NTD was awarded to the school. As the university continues to play its role as a local think tank, hopes are that through positive interaction with the community, they will be able to achieve situations of co-prosperity, co-existence and mutual benefit, while also cultivating students’ abilities to think independently and care for society.
In response to the development, NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang said “all five of the university’s social responsibility projects have been approved, and so I would like to thank each of the project teams for their dedication. The long-term efforts of NPUST have been recognized by the Ministry of Education and we have reached an extremely important milestone in the practice of social responsibility.”
Director Hsu-Yang Kung of the Center for Cross Domain Development said “the process of promoting USR projects, involves more than classroom teaching. The teachers also lead and instruct students so as to equip them with practical abilities and problems solving skills that can be used in the field when working with partners. The approval of all five projects is a reflection of the hard work of all teams and we will continue to make the effort to cultivate talent and contribute to society”.
The first of the projects is dedicated to Satoyama Deep Economies, Under Forest Economies, and ecological tourism. The second is a USR Practice Plan for Agricultural Digital Transformation and Ecosystem Construction and the construction of an organic agricultural industrial ecosystem. The third project aims to revitalize and optimize of Makatao Tribe agricultural industry while giving special focus to health care and Makatao cultural characteristics. The fourth project works to create co-prosperity for the old and the young along with happy companionships so that people can enjoy sustainable and happy homes and issues related to declining birthrates and aging in Pingtung County can find some relief. And the fifth project works with schools in the Dagangshan area of North Kaohsiung and the industrial settlements around the Pingtung Science Park to popularize aviation science, green energy, and sustainable technology.
This year, in addition to the above-mentioned projects approved by the MOE, NPUST been working to expanded the scale and subsidy amount of the USR program at the school. USR program resources are expanding outward and more teachers and students are getting engaged in local practice. The school is also actively working to create an international exchange platform to cultivate and motivate teachers and students to connect with the world, spread the influence of NPUST through social contributions, and contribute to the global sustainable environment.
