Soochow Administrators Learn about Leadership and Future Challenges at Winter Camp

A total of 81 top-level executives of Soochow University gathered at Uni-Resort Lukang for a three-day retreat titled “Academic and Administrative Management Leadership Camp” from January 16^th to 18^th.

The camp served as an annual opportunity for faculty and staff to recharge with knowledge and insights about the latest trends and upcoming challenges. Guest speaker Chair Professor Wei-Chun Lin delivered a speech about “The Opportunities Offered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” during which she introduced a new form of industrial development centered on the Internet and based on data analysis. Health and Counseling Center Director Shu-Wen Yao gave a report on the recently growing number of Soochow’s students seeking mental health services on campus. Dean of Academic Affairs Chan-Long Jan shared about the promotion of interdisciplinary learning (developing a second specialty), and each college explained their interdisciplinary curriculum plan for the 2019 school year. Then the Registration and Curriculum Division and the Career Development Center discussed the University Career and Competency Assessment Network (UCAN) as well as its applications.

President Wei-Ta Pan pointed out that within the next 10 to 15 years, 49% of today’s jobs will disappear or be replaced by AI. Furthermore, in the future people will not be able to keep up with the changes in society by relying on traditional forms of professional knowledge alone, which is why Soochow encourages its students to take interdisciplinary courses. Vice President Wei-Liang Chao introduced the audience to the National Development Council’s “Regional Revitalization National Development Plan,” and expressed his hope that fellow teachers will develop projects to revitalize rural areas through government-industry-university-institute collaboration while utilizing limited government resources. All these demonstrate the fact that not only students but also educators have to take an interdisciplinary approach to their work.

The Personnel Office also arranged for the camp participants to take a guided tour of Lukang Folk Arts Museum, a walk along Lukang Old Street, and to partake in traditional Hakka style cloth dyeing activities. With such a hint of culture added to the retreat, the faculty and staff were able to gain a deeper understanding of the architecture, cultural relics, and craftsmanship of our ancestors.