The first event of the 2023 year of the Ministry of Education's University Social Responsibility (USR) Collaborative Empowerment Series, titled "Who says the cicada doesn't know the winter snow? USR and its long-term benefits assessment," took place on June 9th in the Chang Yeo Lan International Conference Hall of the Hsu Shou Chlien International Conference Center on our campus. Nearly 500 faculty members and students from both inside and outside the university participated in person and online.

The Principal Investigator of the MOE's USR project, Dr. Yuhlong Oliver Su, delivered a speech stating that through the integrated planning and implementation of the USR project by universities, it can align with their development characteristics and strengths. Through scientific and systematic benefit evaluation, the project can assess its achievements and demonstrate its impact. He hoped that through collaborative activities, universities can enhance their exchange and collectively improve their capabilities to face the transformation in higher education. Dr. Hui-Huang Hsu, the Vice President for Academic Affairs of our university, emphasized that the most important aspect of USR is sharing, and he expressed the hope that universities can learn from each other and gain fruitful results.

The Group Leader of Evaluation and Planning Section at Center for University Social Responsibility, MOE, Dr. Ming-Hao Liu, and Postdoctoral Fellow Yu-Min Su from the Center, presented on the "Implementation Status of Medium and Long-Term Benefit Evaluation in the Second Phase of the USR Project." Dr. Su pointed out issues regarding the disconnection between the USR project and institutional development, as well as the lack of a consistent conceptualized and standardized operational system for reporting within the institutions. Dr. Liu emphasized that the USR project values impact more than outcomes. Evaluation reports serve as effective and authentic diagnostic tools for communication with stakeholders and the public. The readability, visual representation, and aesthetics should be ensured. He suggested referring to the Japanese University Education Yearbook and aligning the report with the change theories proposed by each university's USR project, while also meeting their diverse development and autonomy. This will contribute to sustainable development and the academic legacy of operating universities.

In his opening remarks, Sub-Investigator Jwu-Ting Chen of the MOE's USR project emphasized that the vision of university educators in the era of sustainability should focus on "future education" and "social engagement", cultivating students' interdisciplinary capabilities to address real-world issues and actively solve contemporary societal needs such as sustainable ecology and humanistic technological issues. This will establish connections with the local community and align with the international context, effectively implementing the teaching and learning aspects of universities and fulfilling their responsibility to contribute to society.

Next, there were presentations by the following individuals from our university and other institutions, sharing the methodologies for implementing medium- to long-term benefit evaluations: Dr. Min-Fen Tu, Chief of Resilient Governance Planning Section of the Center for Sustainable Development and Social Innovation at our university, Dr. Chun-Hung Lin, Director of General Education Center at Nanhua University, Dr. Yu-Ping Cheng, Director of University Social Responsibility Promotion Center at Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Dr. Yuan-Yen Huang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Office of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility at National Central University, Dr. Yuk-Ying Tung, Director of the Institute of Education at National Cheng Kung University, and Mr. Guan-Hong Yeh, Deputy Manager of the Office of Industry-Academia Operation at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology. In the afternoon, there was a Q&A session titled "Question and Answer on the Methodologies for Medium- to Long-Term Benefit Evaluation," which assisted participants in gaining a better understanding of relevant information and implementation approaches.

In the afternoon session, Dr. Steven Yang, CEO of Canopy Impact Investment, spoke about "The Positioning and Practical Application of Social Impact Reports”, and Dr. Shih-Ching Liu, Research Director of the College of Commerce Sinyi School at National Chengchi University, presented on "How ASUS Evaluates Digital Inclusion Projects? The First Dance of Practice, Research, and Teaching”. After the presentations, there was a panel discussion titled "Challenges in Implementing Medium- to Long-Term Benefit Evaluation," moderated by Dr. Jwu-Ting Chen. This discussion provided an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and outlooks regarding the activities of the day.

SDGs #SDG04 Quality Education #SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities #SDG17 Partnerships for the Goals

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