Friends and colleagues:
I am writing this message to you, with excitement, anticipation and mixed-emotions.I am informing you that after more then three decades in the United States as an academician, a corporate officer and a university administrator, I am about to begin a new chapter.
I have just accepted the position of Senior Executive Vice President for Research Affairs (資深執行副校長--研發事務), offered by Academician Michael Lai (賴明詔院士), President of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU 成大) in Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China. While this is a tremendous honor, it also carries enormous and solemn responsibilities and challenges, foreseen and unforeseen. My term begins in the Fall of 2007.
With three quarters of a century of distinguished history, with well over 100,000 powerful alumni now dotting the globe, many have achieved supreme successes in arts, business, education, science, technology and healthcare and are ready and willing to assist, with 20,000 academic selective students and 1500 academic significant faculty members currently, both have healthy dosage of international flavor, with enormous regional support, and with a permeating culture of proactive intellectual growth on the world’s stage, NCKU has evolved from its engineering beginning to become a comprehensive, research and international university in Asia Pacific.
Friends, for the first time over three decades ago since I became a physics professor, I am taking on a challenge outside the United States.I would be remiss if I did not underscore that US is a country where I have resided since the mid-sixties, it provided me with a lion share of my great education and, of course, it also afforded me rich and robust opportunities to develop a most intellectually satisfying career.
- For the invaluable education and opportunities, I am eternally indebted to this great nation.
As Forrest Gump would say, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."Indeed, until 1995, in my mind, it was an utter certainty that I would only be a happy cocoon and intellectually profoundly satisfying physics professor in the United States, surrounded by brilliant students and collaborators from all over the world.
Yet, in the past twelve years, my life could not have been more colorful, exciting and ever changing.
In those twelve years, my intellectual horizon, well beyond science, was enormously widened and deepened.This was coupled with an exponential explosion of the range and variety of friends and associates worldwide, many have made profound contributions to humanity far beyond me. I was able to operate in and often move into terra-incognita that was formerly completely out-of-reach to me! These experiences and friends have generously taught me much and have provided me with new and exciting opportunities, almost on a daily basis. The only word I would characterize these past twelve years is “luck.” Indeed, without sheer luck, I would not possess a deeper understanding of my role in the world.
- For all my friends and associates who have given me so much and so selflessly in the last three decades, I am not sure how I could ever repay you that will be in commensuration with your gifts to me!My family made me profoundly happy and proud. You made me humble and eclectic!
In the four decades since I first arrived in United States as a naive young man from Singapore, the world was “flattened,” as Thomas Friedman would say. Asia is no longer Asia, United States is no longer United States, the World is no longer the World. Mankind today is technologically connected in an ever changing and ubiquitous manner which was never before seen in its long and often arduous history. In the 21st century, there are indeed dark and imminent challenges facing the globe and humanity, which if not mitigated, may and could spell the demise of all. In this landscape, higher education, especially research universities globally, should and must assume greater and enormous responsibilities to be lighthouses of concern and care for humanity.
Ready to face great and rapidly changing global challenges in the 21st century and sitting in a “new” Continent where reinvention is the norm, not the exception, NationalChengKungUniversity wields enormous opportunity to become one of the world’s most exciting research universities in this century. Indeed,
- with new, practical and courageous leadership,
- with exciting and down-to-earth vision,
- with inclusive attitude and ready to be the economic and intellectual transformation agent,
- with profound appreciation for humanity and deep respect for ecstatic elegance,
- with well defined and reachable goals,
- with outstanding and innovative faculty and students,
- with dedicated administrative staff,
NCKU stands at the threshold of greatness.
- I am confident that NCKU can and will be a lighthouse in a world that needs far more illumination, not less.
With Asian and Western heritages in my blood, and with three decades of eclectic experiences, I look forward to be a member of a robust NCKU team. I will do my utmost to contribute to NCKU’s successes.
- With humility abound, I face my life’s new chapter!
Warmest personal regards,
Da Hsuan Feng |
