The Opening Ceremony and Orientation for new graduate and undergraduate students of the 2025 academic year was held on September 11 and 12 at 10 a.m. on the 7th floor of the Shao-Mo Memorial Gymnasium, presided over by President Huan-Chao Keh. Accompanied by the three vice presidents and supervisors of academic and administrative offices, President Keh led freshmen in climbing the 132 steps of the Slope of Overcoming Difficulty, symbolizing the shared spirit of “overcoming difficulties and striving upward” and embodying the university motto of “Simplicity, Truthfulness, Firmness, and Perseverance.”
The ceremony opened with the university choir singing the school anthem and a promotional video of student clubs. Relay performances by the Competitive Cheerleading Team, Diabolo Club, Dance Club, Hip-Hop Dance Club, and Extreme Dance Club showcased Tamkang’s youthful energy and vitality.
In his address, President Keh welcomed freshmen to the Tamkang family and highlighted the university’s Triple Objectives of Globalization, Informatization-oriented Education, and Future-oriented Education, combined with the Three Circles and Five Disciplines, and Eight Essential Qualities, aimed at cultivating students into spiritually outstanding talents. He emphasized that Tamkang has been ranked the top private university in the CommonWealth Magazine “Most Favored Graduates by Enterprises” survey for 28 consecutive years, and has forged collaborations with Microsoft Taiwan, FarEasTone Telecom, AMD, and NVIDIA to establish the nation’s first All-Cloud Smart Campus and Sustainability Cloud, advancing toward becoming an AI University. Addressing the challenges of the AI era, he encouraged students to actively develop second and third areas of expertise, improve their English proficiency and soft skills: “Being admitted to Tamkang is something to be proud of. Make the most of your four years to build the foundation for becoming multi-skilled youth and cross-disciplinary professionals.”
During the orientation, Dean of Academic Affairs Tzong-Ru Tsai gave a detailed explanation of curriculum planning, the structure of general education, course selection rules, minor and double-major systems, interdisciplinary learning, and program regulations, encouraging students to pursue cross-disciplinary study. Dean of Student Affairs Shih-Jung Wu urged freshmen to cultivate the three core soft skills of learning stability, adaptability, and resilience, to value emotional management, and to make good use of the diverse resources provided by the university to enrich their college life. Dean of General Affairs Ruey-Shiang Shaw shared the university’s sustainability initiatives on campus, introducing shuttle bus services, equipment maintenance, and emergency call buttons, while reminding students to maintain the environment and observe campus regulations to make Tamkang a safer and more comfortable learning space.
In the afternoon, departmental orientations were held to introduce program features, student association operations, and learning requirements. The Health Care Division organized freshman health checks at the Student Activity Center, while the Extracurricular Activities Section hosted a Club Expo on September 11–12 and 15–18 at the pedestrian zone in front of the College of Liberal Arts and on the 4th floor terrace of the gymnasium. On September 15, a Club Night featuring performances by 20 student clubs was held at the Student Activity Center.
Freshmen also shared their reflections. Hao-Yu Xu, a freshman in Mass Communication, said that the orientation provided a clearer understanding of how to make use of campus resources, and described the symbolic experience of climbing the Slope of Overcoming Difficulty: “Walking the whole way under the hot sun was tough, but it reminded me of the spirit of perseverance and striving upward—it was very meaningful.” Yi-Hsuan Lee, a freshman in English, said that hearing about Tamkang’s strong national and global rankings gave her greater confidence in her choice. She also appreciated the convenience and thoughtfulness of services such as shuttle buses, low-carbon lunchboxes, and equipment repair requests.
