Selected Speeches
Dr. Chungserved as the President of SNU from 2002 to 2006. These are selected speeches during his presidency.
Congratulatory Remarks for the 75th Anniversary of National Taiwan University (Nov.15, 2003)
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On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of National Taiwan University
Congratulatory Remarks
by Dr. Un-Chan Chung
President, Seoul National University
15 November 2003
President Chen Wei-Jao, Honored Guests, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning. May I begin by expressing my heartfelt congratulations to President Chen and everyone at National Taiwan University on the 75th anniversary of the university’s founding.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think you will agree with me that, in an average human being’s relatively brief lifespan, seventy-five years usually marks a time when one begins to slow down a bit, scaling back on one’s activities and commitments.
But from everything I’ve seen over yesterday and today, National Taiwan University is seventy-five years young, and, only just beginning to flex its wings, dreaming of an even brighter future, energetically moving forward, building on your illustrious history of academic and institutional achievements.
National Taiwan University is already the most prestigious institution of higher learning in Taiwan, and recognized internationally as one of the foremost centers of academic excellence in East Asia. National Taiwan University’s persistent efforts to create a stimulating educational environment for its students have paid off handsomely. Today, its graduates can be found in leadership positions in every sector of Taiwan society-- from the corridors of government, to corporate boardrooms, to cutting-edge research centers, in the news media and in the entertainment industry, and virtually everywhere else in between.
National Taiwan University’s investments into building an outstanding faculty, and its balanced curriculum stressing the fundamentals of higher learning-- humanities, social sciences, basic and applied sciences -- together with its investments into building top professional schools, as well as its innovative steps in the direction of distance and tele-communicative teaching and even medical treatment, reaffirm National Taiwan University’s place as firm pillar of modern-day Taiwan.
An outstanding educational institution cannot be built overnight. I know that during the past seventy-five years the National Taiwan University’s place as the leading institution of higher learning in Taiwan was secured through the hard work and selfless devotion of many people. The National Taiwan University was also fortunate to have had visionary leadership of former presidents Chien Szu-liang, Yen Cheng Shing, Yu Chao-chung, and Sun Chen among others. Over the past ten years, President Chen Wei-jao has carried on this illustrious tradition of excellence and leadership of the university.
Ladies and gentlemen, universities today face multi-faceted demands. One of the most important of these is to become more internationalized, more open to currents beyond our borders, and to become more flexible to take advantage of the opportunities offered by establishing close relationships with top institutions around the world.
In this regard, I am delighted to say that my own institution, Seoul National University, and the National Taiwan University have been working together since 1998 to expand avenues for faculty and student exchange as well as collaborative research in between our two universities. It is my sincere hope that we will work together even more closely in the years ahead for the benefit of not only our two universities, but for the good of the global community.
Before I close, may I once again express my very best wishes for continued success at the National Taiwan University. I look forward to returning to your campus for the Centennial Celebration.
Thank you very much.
Congratulatory Remarks
by Dr. Un-Chan Chung
President, Seoul National University
15 November 2003
President Chen Wei-Jao, Honored Guests, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning. May I begin by expressing my heartfelt congratulations to President Chen and everyone at National Taiwan University on the 75th anniversary of the university’s founding.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think you will agree with me that, in an average human being’s relatively brief lifespan, seventy-five years usually marks a time when one begins to slow down a bit, scaling back on one’s activities and commitments.
But from everything I’ve seen over yesterday and today, National Taiwan University is seventy-five years young, and, only just beginning to flex its wings, dreaming of an even brighter future, energetically moving forward, building on your illustrious history of academic and institutional achievements.
National Taiwan University is already the most prestigious institution of higher learning in Taiwan, and recognized internationally as one of the foremost centers of academic excellence in East Asia. National Taiwan University’s persistent efforts to create a stimulating educational environment for its students have paid off handsomely. Today, its graduates can be found in leadership positions in every sector of Taiwan society-- from the corridors of government, to corporate boardrooms, to cutting-edge research centers, in the news media and in the entertainment industry, and virtually everywhere else in between.
National Taiwan University’s investments into building an outstanding faculty, and its balanced curriculum stressing the fundamentals of higher learning-- humanities, social sciences, basic and applied sciences -- together with its investments into building top professional schools, as well as its innovative steps in the direction of distance and tele-communicative teaching and even medical treatment, reaffirm National Taiwan University’s place as firm pillar of modern-day Taiwan.
An outstanding educational institution cannot be built overnight. I know that during the past seventy-five years the National Taiwan University’s place as the leading institution of higher learning in Taiwan was secured through the hard work and selfless devotion of many people. The National Taiwan University was also fortunate to have had visionary leadership of former presidents Chien Szu-liang, Yen Cheng Shing, Yu Chao-chung, and Sun Chen among others. Over the past ten years, President Chen Wei-jao has carried on this illustrious tradition of excellence and leadership of the university.
Ladies and gentlemen, universities today face multi-faceted demands. One of the most important of these is to become more internationalized, more open to currents beyond our borders, and to become more flexible to take advantage of the opportunities offered by establishing close relationships with top institutions around the world.
In this regard, I am delighted to say that my own institution, Seoul National University, and the National Taiwan University have been working together since 1998 to expand avenues for faculty and student exchange as well as collaborative research in between our two universities. It is my sincere hope that we will work together even more closely in the years ahead for the benefit of not only our two universities, but for the good of the global community.
Before I close, may I once again express my very best wishes for continued success at the National Taiwan University. I look forward to returning to your campus for the Centennial Celebration.
Thank you very much.