NCKU 112th Academic Year First Semester Seminar - Design Your Life: Getting to Know Your True Self-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

On November 20, the Student Affairs Office of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) organized the Seminar on Student Affairs and Counseling Work for the first semester of the 112th academic year. During the event, outstanding faculty members who excelled in mentoring and counseling during the 111th academic year were recognized. The keynote speaker for the seminar was Professor Shi-Wei Chu, a physics professor at National Taiwan University (NTU) and concurrently the Dean of Student Affairs. The theme of his presentation was "Design your life - Can life really be designed?"


Vice President Ching-Chang Lee represented President Meng-Ru Shen in attending the event and presented awards to the outstanding mentors of the 111th academic year. In his remarks, Vice President Lee shared his recent experience attending the university alumni association gathering, where discussions among alumni centered around mutual assistance during their student days, covering topics such as life, academics, and relationships. He emphasized the importance of building closer connections among students and believed that with the support of teachers, students could experience more growth during their time on campus. Vice President Lee expressed gratitude to the hard work and efforts of the faculty members and hoped that through collaborative efforts, the campus could become even better.


Professor Chu Shiwei shared his experiences as a mentor, highlighting the importance of helping students understand themselves. He often starts with the question "Why go to college?" to inspire students to think about their life choices. Many students may not be clear about their life choices within the current educational system. Through regular meetings during the semester, Professor Chu aims to help students understand themselves and build confidence and a sense of achievement. He also shared some common phrases he often discusses with his mentees. One of them is "Life is a long-term and continuous accumulation," encouraging students to view life as a continuous learning process. Another phrase is to avoid pursuing a singular value of "competition between people" but rather strive for "competition between people and things." Lastly, he encourages students to "Learn by doing," emphasizing the importance of learning through practical experience.


Professor Shi-Wei Chu mentioned that teaching the "Design your life" course together with fellow students has been a rewarding experience for him. He has witnessed the willingness of students to help each other and the positive energy generated through mutual support. Throughout his presentation, Professor Chu cited several quotes from the Indian philosopher Mahatma Gandhi, including "Be the change you wish to see in the world," highlighting the mutual expectations and encouragement between teachers and students. He concluded by acknowledging the challenges of an academic career but expressed the satisfaction of encountering real people, solving real problems, observing the real world, and getting to know the real self.