“Soaring Young Spirits”:--4000 celebrate Soochow University’s 115th founding anniversary

Soochow University’s 115th anniversary celebrations kicked off with the completion of a 14-day island-wide bicycle tour by 115 staff and students. March 14, 2015, the final day of the 14-day ride covering 1,115 kilometers, marked the beginning of a series of celebratory events. Everyone was charged with youthful spirits and moved by the passionate singing of the school anthem.

A total of 4,000 faculty, staff, students, and alumni, coming as far as Japan, participated in the various celebration events. After the lighting of the torch, different sports events were commenced. Soochow President Pan Wei-Ta thanked the alumni association and the participating alumni for their continuous support and hope that with the continuing efforts from all the staff, faculty and students, SoochowUniversity will excel in the next 115 years.

"Bubble Football Game” excited all the participants

The anniversary celebrations started at 8: 30 in the morning and continued until 3: 30 in the afternoon. In addition to the sports events and fun games for the students and faculty, there were word puzzles, dance competitions, and exciting fair events. The students’ association introduced the "bubble football game” popularized in Japan andEurope, which attracted lots of participants. Liao Jun-Wei, head of the students’ association, said that this was the very first time that this game was introduced; registration was closed within seconds after the start of the game launching. The game is played with five players on each team, and whichever team scores the most points in 30 minutes wins a nice present.

Wu Wei-Kuo from the graduating class of business administration’s batch year 72 ran 55 seconds in the men’s 400 meter race, and this record has stayed for the last 35 years. He was present and cheered for the contestants of the 400 meter event, where a NTD10,000 prize would be offered to whoever could break his record. History freshman Yao Jun-Han clocked fastest at 55.59 seconds, which unfortunately didn’t break the record. Among other events, the health center provided surveys and conducted an "empathy experience event”, which interested many into testing their enthusiasm and compassion. 

Remembering Mr. Wang Chung-Hui—Superlative excellence

The School of foreign languages and cultures held a conference under the theme of language, literature and culture to encourage academic exchange among faculty members. A special exhibition was held at the archive room to commemorate the extraordinary achievements of Mr. Wang Chung-Hui, a renowned legal scholar, diplomat, politician, and educator.

Soochow University’s 115th founding anniversary ended with success

The two campuses of Soochow University are well accessed with the downtown campus located at the heart of the city center and the Waishuanghsi campus close to many tourist spots such as the National Palace Museum.Soochow University was first founded by a group of missionaries in Soochow, China in 1900 and was rebuilt in Taiwanin 1951, making it the first private university established in Taiwan. Since the last century, Soochow University has tried to adhere to its motto—cultivating one’s inner uprightness through the emulation of the ancient and modern saints. The red and black colors on the school flag further attest to our passion and perseverance for education and pursuit for excellence. There have been several outstanding talents in many fields, who have graduated fromSoochow University, among whom the alumni in the fields of law, politics, business, and foreign languages take the lead. The university has secured funding from Teaching Excellence Project from the Ministry of Education for the past 11 years, obtaining more than NT$ 900 million for various projects. In 2015, we founded the Big Data School of Management—the first in Taiwan to train and produce talents in management and vast data processing. All of these achievements attest to our teaching principles. We thank all who have participated in the 115th founding anniversary celebrations for their efforts and enthusiasm.