On October 16, Tamkang University Board Chairperson Flora Chia-I Chang received the Individual Award at the 11th Asia-Pacific Futures Network (APFN) Annual Conference held at TKU, in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contributions in advancing future literacy across the Asia-Pacific region. The two-day conference, held at the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center, drew 130 scholars, including 113 international participants, for an inspiring exchange of global futures thinking in Tamsui.

“Today, when I see all of you here, I know our shared hopes have not been in vain,” said Chairperson Chang in her welcoming remarks. She expressed her joy in seeing APFN evolve into a vibrant ecosystem over the past decade, remarking that “the seed we planted together has now grown into a young forest.” Reflecting on Tamkang’s more than 50 years of engagement in futures studies, she credited the founder, Dr. Clement C.P. Chang, whose visionary leadership ensured that futures thinking was never marginal at Tamkang: “It has always been a core part of our undergraduate curriculum.” Chang emphasized that this commitment is unique worldwide, as TKU’s Department of Education and Futures Design has become a global destination for graduate research in futures studies. She also introduced TKU’s new institutional vision, “AI+ SDGs =∞,” stating that by integrating futures thinking with artificial intelligence, humanity can “amplify imagination and explore infinite possibilities,” leading to the next great leap forward.

The conference featured a special lecture by Dr. Lavonne Leong, editor of the Journal of Futures Studies, titled “Futures Studies at Tamkang: The Vision of Clement C.P. Chang.” She traced TKU’s pioneering path in futures education — from publishing World of Tomorrow in 1975 to the leadership transition under Chairperson Flora Chia-I Chang, who introduced Total Quality Management (TQM), promoted future literacy, and aligned the university’s development strategy with global sustainability through AI+SDGs =∞. Quoting Dr. Chang’s famous words, “The best future is a created future,” Dr. Leong emphasized that TKU’s achievements and futures scholarship have always been shaped by creative will, not destiny. She also noted that under Chairperson Chang’s guidance, future literacy will continue to define TKU’s next phase in futures studies.

Founded in 2015, the Asia-Pacific Futures Network has since rotated its annual meetings across Asia. Conference Chair Prof. Kuo-Hua Chen opened the event by displaying a photo of the very first APFN meeting, also hosted by TKU a decade ago. At that time, only about a dozen scholars were in attendance. 10 years later, the group photo captured a far more spectacular and grand scene. Each participant received a commemorative T-shirt printed with the phrase “The Future Is What We Make It,” as Chen warmly welcomed everyone “back home.”

The conference also honored The Change Initiative, a Bangkok-based NGO, for its influential work in advancing futures thinking. The award was presented to CEO Jost Wagner by Prof. Sohail Inayatullah. Subsequently, Vice President for Academic Affairs Hui-Huang Hsu presented the APFN-JFS Awards to Shermon Cruz and Matt Scott, recognizing their outstanding research contributions to futures thinking in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the opening session, Prof. Sohail Inayatullah, a leading global futurist, co-founder of APFN and UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, and TKU researcher in the Department of Education and Futures Design, delivered the keynote address on the conference theme: “Can Artificial Intelligence Create a Green and Ethical Future?” “We use AI, and AI in turn uses us,” he describes AI as a symbiotic partner that amplifies existing human core values. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that AI first serves the poorest populations and is utilized to combat corruption. In education, he predicted that AI will increasingly handle repetitive administrative tasks, allowing teachers to focus on nurturing critical, emotional, and spiritual intelligence. Prof. Inayatullah also forecasted a global transformation of learning toward an “anytime, anywhere, from anyone” model, which may cause traditional universities to decline, replaced by networked, credential-based global learning systems. To prevent humanity from self-destruction, he called for radical systemic change, including a shift from humanism to neo-humanism (granting rights to nature), reform of the UN system, and reduction of global wealth inequality. He concluded his speech with the phrase “become the exception,” encouraging participants to innovate, to be extraordinary individuals, and to create history.