Soochow University Recruits former Executive Yuan Premier Shan-Cheng Chang as Chair Professor and Honorary Dean of the School of Big Data Management

Beginning 2016 school year, Soochow University has been blessed by the addition of former Executive Yuan Premier Dr. Shan-Cheng Chang as Chair Professor and Honorary Dean of the School of Big Data Management. Dr. Chang will be assisting Soochow in designing big data management curriculum as well as in research and industry-academics collaborations. A press conference was held to make the announcement at Soochow University’s Riverside (Waishuangxi) Campus on 21 September 2016. 

Soochow University’s School of Big Data Management was established in 2015, a sign of Soochow’s dedication towards academic excellence and in training of future stars in the field of big data management. The school has been able to acquire five Chair Professors: Chia-Tung Hsu, Honorary Consultant at Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance; Wei-Chun Lin, Head of the Institute for Information Industry Data Analytics Technology & Applications Department; Yen-Peng Chou, CEO of InQuartik; Yun-Peng Chu, National Policy Research Foundation; and Wei-Hsien Lin, Chairman of Doers Education Group. Aided by these Chair Professors, the School of Big Data Management hopes to delve deeper into different aspects in the field, for example; information security, financial technology, patents and so forth. Having former Executive Yuan Premier Dr. Chang joining the faculty is icing on the cake. During his term as Premier, Dr. Chang put great emphasis on big data and application of open data. As a result, the government has achieved great results in this regard.

Furthermore, Soochow University will be greatly upgraded by his expertise and experience in the following; (A) teaching and giving lectures (with a focus on big data, open data, and information security), (B) moderating lectures, (C) guiding integration of big data into various academic fields, (D) bringing more domestic and international experts in big data, (E) introducing resources from the industry, and (F) consulting academic-industry cooperation. Soochow University President Wei-Ta Pan expressed gratitude to board trustee Mr. Sung-Chang Tang for his generous contributions in establishing the “Tang Sung-Chang Alumni Lectures.” Mr. Tang once said Soochow is not only his alma mater but also his mother, and when the mother is in need, her children must do all they can to help. Since the “Tang Sung-Chang Alumni Lectures” is set up to encourage and promote educational and research development, Mr. Tang said, having Dr. Chang teaching at Soochow serves the purpose, and is a blessing to faculty and students.

Dr. Chang said although his degree isn’t in technology, he would like to use the experience he gained through promoting Open Data and Big Data during his time in office to help students of the School of Big Data Management broaden their horizons and learn a lot more than just professional knowledge.

Dr. Chang graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of National Taiwan University and received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Cornell University in 1981. He was Professor of Civil Engineering at National Taiwan University, and has held various positions such as Director of the National Center for High-performance Computing, Vice President of Acer Inc.’s e-Enabling Service Business Group, Director of Google’s hardware operation in Asia. After completing his term as Premier of the Executive Yuan, Dr. Chang has been greatly sought after by multiples of institutions. 

The technique of Big Data Analysis has caused shock waves in industries, its value-added application plays an important role in economic development, and trained talents in the field are key factors to national development, and the foundation of sustainable development. Big Data Management is the future, and that’s why Soochow University established the School of Big Data Management in 2015 with a graduate program for those already in the workforce, and an undergraduate program. Soochow is currently working on plans for a graduate program in 2017, and in the process of applying to the Ministry of Education for a “Big Data Post Graduate Bachelor’s Degree Program.”. To keep in touch with demands of the job market, admission to the program is scheduled to begin in the 2017 school year.