Since its establishment 18 years ago, AU has transformed into a university with international outlook. Tsai, the founding and current president, is the driving force behind the transformtion.
Only 18 years ago, the site of Asia University was a watermelon and sugar cane field. It has now transformed into an aesthetic university recognized as one of the top universities according to several international rankings. President Jeffrey J. P. Tsai, the founding and current school president for 11 years in total, undoubtedly is the main driving force behind the profound transformation. He was awarded the Top 10 Outstanding Presidents Award by the Association of Taiwan Private School Culture and Education R.O.C in December, 2018. Mr. Ching-ji Wu, the commissioner of the evaluation committee and a former Minister of Education, has stated that although Asia University is a young university, its vibrant educational setting has already received global recognition, including several international rankings. The Asia University Museum of Modern Art, designed by the master architect Tadao Ando, houses world-famous sculptures from 19th century, such as The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. From this, it is evident that Asia University places great emphasis on students’ aesthetics cultivation.
“If you ask me what is the most creative thing I’ve ever done in my life, the answer is, no doubt, being the founding president of Asia University.” says President Tsai. He received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University. Having spent more than 20 years in the academic field in USA, he was invited by the founder Chang-Hai Tsai and the Board of Trustees to return to Taiwan and serve the post of the founding president of Taichung Healthcare and Management University (which was promoted and renamed as Asia University four years later with the approval of the Ministry of Education). At that time, President Tsai was fully aware that there were already 135 universities in Taiwan; he believed that our young generation did not just need one more extra university, but a different university. Since its first year, our student body at Asia University has grown from 1,200 students to over 13,000 students at present. Currently we have around 600 foreign students on campus. Even with the unfavorable demographic development nationwide, Asia University still strive to continue its growth despite facing various emerging challenges. As Presidents Tsai says, “Asia University is a relatively young school. Being innovative and unique is a must in order to excel.” He encourages students to attend various international contests to show their talents worldwide. Asia University’s teachers have led students to compete in the Concours Lépine International Invention Fair in France, iF Design Award in Germany, Red Dot Design Award in Germany, Good Design Award (G-Mark) in Japan, and many other international design and invention contests. With numerous awards and outstanding performances, the Ministry of Education has granted Asia University the first prize of the International Competition for Taiwanese Students in Art and Design in the Higher Education System for five years.
In order to create a stimulating learning environment, Asia University has an artistic, green and beautiful campus to foster creativity. Japanese architect Tadao Ando, a Pritzker Prize winner, was invited to design the Asia University Museum of Modern Art. In an effort to become one of the leading university-run museums, the school formed an alliance with five other world-class university museums, including Harvard University and Oxford University. In 2016, the Asia University Hospital was opened with the goal of providing emergency medical care in the central region; the hospital’s central mission is to deliver the highest quality care, focusing on neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, and emergency/trauma and ensuring patients the best experience possible during their hospital stay. President Tsai says, "Being a world-class university is our goal. We are steadily marching toward realizing the goal!” For four consecutive years since 2015, Asia University has been awarded a place on Cheers magazine’s list of Top 20 Best Universities in Taiwan. In World University rankings, Asia University has earned its reputation in four major world rankings, including Academic Ranking of World Universities released by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, Asian University Rankings released by QS, Best Global Universities Ranking released by U.S. News & World Report, and Young University Rankings 2018: Millennial Universities released by the Times Higher Education (THE), in which AU was ranked 31st in the world and first place in Taiwan.
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