National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)

School established as Tainan Technical College, located on the present Cheng-Kung Campus, total area of 18.3 hectaresNCKU is located in Tainan City, Taiwan Province, the Republic of China. It is situated accross from the Tainan Railway Station, offering convenient transportation. The total area of the school is 172.629294 hectares, including the Cheng-Kung, Sheng-Li, Kuang-Fu, Chien-Kuo, Tzu-Chiang, Ching-Yeh, Li-Hsing, and Kuei-Jen Campuses, the An-Nan Campus and some areas designated for dormitory use. It is one of the most spacious and beautiful university campuses in this country.The Center for General Education was established in 1996. Its major obligation is not specifically aimed to prepare students for jobs, but to equip them with the essentials for living a full and satisfying life as citizens of a free society. These primary goals are:1. Providing the student with opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes, understandings and skills necessary for responsible citizenship in a democratic society.2. Helping the student understand the social, political and economic problems of society on local, national , and international levels.3. Fostering an understanding and appreciation of the scientific method and the importance of science in our technological world.4. Cultivating an integrated mind and the ability to think independently.The center is composed of one director and many professors. The Director, who is appointed by the Dean of Academic Affairs, is in charge of the administration of general education and acts as an Executive Secretary of the General Education Committee. Moreover, the center provides several research sections including common core curriculum, life science, liberal arts, social science, and natural science.So far as we concerned, the development of general education at NCKU must still overcome a lot of straits in the near future. We hope that the campus faculty to create a perfect environment for the development of general education. In other words, general education reforms are integrally related to strategic planning at several NCKU institutions. According to the trends and innovations in general education reforms, the center will have a plan with priorities to set up a new general education program. Included are the following: 1. Continuing the spirit of reform, covering comprehensive curriculum revision. 2. Creating a deeper structure of systematic supports. 3. Embedding general education into the departments.