Mission
Hwa Hsia University of Technology, founded in 1966 by Dr. Frank T. Y. Chao, aims to create a favorable educational environment which enables students to develop professional skills for future careers and acquire in-depth knowledge for further studies as well. In order to reach the goal, the Institute has been devoted to recruiting excellent faculty, improving learning environment, and strengthening teaching and research facilities so that students can achieve professional competence in their chosen fields and adapt readily to the fast technological development and ever-changing environment. In short, the education at Hwa Hsia is student-centered. Every effort is made to provide a stable, safe, and friendly learning environment, which provides a distinctive educational experience for students.

Guiding principle
The guiding principle of the Institute is GOAL-121. G stands for globalization, which aims to help students establish a correct worldview and strengthen the internationalization of the Institute. O stands for originality, which aims to develop student creativity. A stands for attitude, which aims to help students cultivate a good attitude. L stands for lifelong learning, which aims to equip students with the ability to keep learning after graduation. In order to acquire the ability, students are supposed to achieve the “121” objective before graduation: 1 diploma in a professional field, 2 certificates in vocational qualification and foreign language ability, and 1 multidisciplinary program certificate.

Campus location
The Institute, located in Chung Ho City, one of the suburbs of Taipei Metropolitan Area, is a mere 15-minute driving distance from Kung Kuan District, the southwestern part of Taipei City, where National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Technology and Science are situated. It has excellent communications with the surrounding areas not only because the Northern Second Superhighway and the terminal station of the Taipei Rapid Transit System are nearby, but also because high frequency of bus traffic makes for very convenient outbound transportation.

Academic departments
The Institute enrolls approximately 6500 students and has 12 academic departments and one graduate institute: Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Engineering, Information Management, Assets and Property Management (graduate institute included), Business Administration, Architecture, Digital Media Design, Interior Design, and Applied Cosmetology. In addition to professional courses offered by each department, General Education Center provides information about basic general education requirements and offers courses that meet particular designations.

Departmental features
In order to enhance our competitiveness and increase the effectiveness and? efficiency of available resources, each department in our institute has its development focus, which gradually becomes its unique features. The following are the features of each department:

Program types
The Institute currently provides a master’s program in assets and property management, and offers bachelor’s degrees to graduates of four-year programs and two-year programs. The four-year programs admit students from vocational high school graduates or their equivalents, while the two-year programs admit students from junior college graduates or their equivalents. In addition, associate degrees are awarded to graduates of five-year programs and two-year programs. The former admits students from junior high school graduates, while the latter admits students from vocational high school graduates or their equivalents. The Institute also provides evening and weekend programs to meet the diverse educational needs of working adults and students interested in studying in the evening or on the weekend.

Worldview development
In order to develop students’ worldview, the Institute offers such courses as Western culture, Western art, teaches foreign languages, holds international symposium, strengthens external exchanges and cooperation, and encourages students to participate in international skills competitions. In the last year alone, our faculty members/students visited the United States, Japan, Germany, Mainland China and Hong Kong to engage in academic exchanges. Meanwhile Okinawa National College of Technology and Anabuki College Group in Japan, Jimei University, Xiamen Huaxia Vocational College and Fujian University of Technology in Mainland China visited our campus. In addition, we signed memorandums of understanding on academic exchanges and cooperation with Beijing Union University, Jimei University and Fujian University of Technology. As for students’ participation in international skills competitions, we have won the following medals:

1. An-Jung Liu won the silver medal in information technology in the 38th WorldSkills Competition held in Finland in 2005.
2. Gin-Jar Chen won the silver medal in information technology in the 36th WorldSkills Competition held in Korea in 2001.
3. Yun-Hsuan Huang won the gold medal in information technology in the 34th WorldSkills Competition held in Switzerland in 1997
4. Hwa Hsia Team was ranked 15th in the 2002 ACM Asia Programming Contest, and ranked 10th in 2005.

Creativity enhancement
For the purpose of encouraging creativity, the Institute holds a creative robot competition and other creativity-stimulating activities annually. Besides, we also encourage our students to participate in intercollegiate creativity competitions to release their creative potential. The following are the results we have achieved in recent years:

1. In the National College Robot Contests sponsored annually by the Ministry of Education and TDK Culture Foundation, our students won the gold medal in the first annual contest, won a gold, silver or bronze medal for 7 consecutive years, 5 creativity awards, and 5 TDK awards.
2. In the Chem-E-Car Creative Design and Competitions, our students won a gold medal and a silver medal in 2004, won a gold medal and a bronze medal in 2005, won a gold medal in 2006, and won a gold medal and a silver medal in 2007.

Attitude cultivation
The Institute offers a wide variety of activities with a view to fostering a right and positive attitude among students and providing them with opportunities to learn people skills. Through the activities such as providing services to local communities, primary/secondary schools, orphanages and the general public, students are able to develop humanistic spirit and a sense of responsibility and enthusiasm. In the above-mentioned National College Robot Contests, we won 5 TDK (teamwork) awards, which are examples of our students’ good teamwork.

Professional skills development
To enhance students’ professional skills is one of the major goals of our institute. Therefore, we pay special attention to laboratory/practicum courses and encourage our students to get vocational certificates. For the past 5 years, our students have obtained 3225 Classes B and C Technician Certificates. In addition, our students are encouraged to take part in national skills contests so as to demonstrate their learning outcomes. For the past 5 years, our students have won 114 gold, silver or bronze medals, excluding the above-mentioned medals obtained from international competitions.

Multidisciplinary programs available
For the purpose of equipping students with the ability to engage in lifelong learning, the Institute not only helps students acquire the knowledge and skills of a certain professional field, but also encourages them to possess multidisciplinary knowledge. Therefore, many multidisciplinary programs are offered for students to take. These programs include materials science, mechatronics, facilities management, intelligent robots, innovation and creativity applications, digital game design, green energy technology, etc. It’s hoped that students’ multidisciplinary ability is strengthened through these programs and thus lays the foundation for their lifelong learning.

A brilliant future
It has been more than 40 years since the Institute was founded. Our alumni can be found in countless fields of endeavor and are increasingly in demand with employers. Most of them enjoy successful careers. In recent years, the Institute has made remarkable progress in recruiting better faculty, expanding teaching and research facilities, and improving learning environment. All these advantages have combined to give a thriving picture and thus lay a solid foundation for a brilliant future.

May 26, 2010