National Sun Yat-sen University has upheld its principles, values and ideals in a time where higher education institutions have faced competition and challenges on a global scale. When I first took office, I encouraged all members of the University to imagine a bright future and be courageous in pursuing dreams. Now, we are on the path with this commitment to create a brighter future and act on the dreams for the continuous transformation of the University with compassion and innovation.

The role of a university, to me, is not merely to nurture dreamers with no boundaries but also to support practitioners who have their feet on the ground. As the education system restructures in the time of changes, I sense an air of free spirit building up, so well matching with the rising hills and daring sea in Sizihwan on our campus; so let NSYSU be an inspiration and a tipping point for all of our students, faculty, and staff for the betterment of their lives.

NSYSU aims to become one of the world's top 200 universities by 2030. To reach this goal, we are determined to break away from conventional thinking and restraints. We have identified five aspects for reformation: teaching, research, internationalization, industry-academe collaboration, and administrative support. 
For teaching, the 2020- 2024 development plan focuses on two initiatives: resources for students to learn anything and support for faculty to teach anything so as to reshape the campus environment and build a learning ecosystem. Further, a medical school is planned to be established on the Renwu campus; it will incorporate the prominent research capabilities of our faculty in engineering, science, and marine sciences and significantly enhance the development of the healthcare in southern Taiwan and allow NSYSU to fulfill its social responsibility.

For research, we will expand the scope of our global collaboration with strategic partners and invest in cutting-edge research areas. At the same time with equal importance, the university values a balanced development in sciences and humanities, despite the fact that 60% of our faculty members teach science and engineering. The initiatives in the industry-academe collaboration aspect include expanding alliance with corporations, expediting technology transfer to industries, and supporting entrepreneurship with emphasis on the medical industry. For internationalization, earmarked funding helped recruit international faculty members as well as aspiring international students. For domestic students, we offer substantial scholarships for participation in exchange or dual-degree programs. In addition, strategic partnerships with a selected few renowned universities have been established to strengthen collaborations in both student mobility and joint research. Lastly, in administrative support, as NSYSU is located by the ocean, constructing a smart and sustainable campus as well as establishing a base for water sports in southern Taiwan are the main initiatives. For the university as a whole, the future brings the issue of merger as a result of population decrease. We will proactively take on the challenges as well as opportunities.

Since its establishment in 1980, NSYSU has carried out its responsibilities in cultivating talents, innovating in research and development, and fulfilling social justice. We actively recruit distinguished academic professionals domestically and from abroad to construct a diverse, open, and free spirited campus that nourishes an academic culture that values innovation. We have now achieved a status of a compact yet refined research-oriented university, but the pursuit for excellence does not stop here. On the turn of our 40th anniversary, we will persist in supporting innovation, affirming differences, and embracing diversity. We firmly believe in the adage of reaping the rewards of your hard work and will continue to elevate the University to a higher level to enrich the lives of everyone who works and studies here. NSYSU has continued to grow throughout the years and is bound to be the engine that drives an entire generation. I truly hope that our education will be the torch illuminating us toward the future, instead of being a back mirror reflecting images of the past.