National Taiwan Normal University

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU; Chinese: 國立臺灣師範大學; pinyin: Guólì Táiwān Shīfàn Dàxué),^[5] or Shīdà 師大 is an institution of higher education and normal school operating out of three campuses in Taipei, Taiwan. NTNU is the leading research institute in such disciplines as Education, Linguistics, Fine Arts, Music and Sports in Taiwan.^[6] NTNU enjoys a long and distinguished history as one of the four oldest universities in Taiwan. Founded in 1922 during the Japanese regime, it was first known as Taihoku High School under the Government-General of Taiwan before being renamed as Taiwan Provincial Teachers College in 1946, and subsequently restructured as a comprehensive university in 1994.^[7]

National Taiwan Normal University

國立臺灣師範大學
Former name	Taihoku College (1922) Taiwan Provincial College (1946) Taiwan Provincial Normal University (1955)
Motto	誠正勤樸^[1]
Motto in English	Sincerity, Justice, Diligence, and Simplicity^[2]
Type	Public (National)
Established	1922
President	Cheng-Chih Wu (吳正己)
Academic staff	1,541
Students	15,112^[3]
Undergraduates	8,394
Postgraduates	5,686
Location	Taipei (Main Campus & Gongguan Campus) & New Taipei (Linkou Campus) , Taiwan
Campus	Urban: Main Campus & Gongguan Campus Rural: Linkou Campus
Colours	Blue and Red
Affiliations	National Taiwan University System AAPBS^[4] UAiTED
Website	English, Chinese
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	国立台湾师范大学
Traditional Chinese	國立臺灣師範大學
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guólì Táiwān Shīfàn Dàxué Bopomofo ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄌㄧˋ ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ ㄕ ㄈㄢˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄒㄩㄝˊ Wade–Giles kuo^2li^4 tai^2wan^1 shih^1fan^4 ta^4 hsüeh^2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Su-hōan Tāi-ha̍k

NTNU is widely recognized as one of Taiwan's comprehensive and elite higher education institutions with the most international exposure.^[8] NTNU is affiliated with National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology as part of the National Taiwan University System.^[9] NTNU is an official member of International Consortium for Universities of Education in East Asia (ICUE),^[10] University Alliance in Talent Education Development (UAiTED),^[11] and AAPBS.^[12] NTNU selected as one of four landmark bilingual universities in Taiwan.^[13] A number of Taiwan's leading artists, authors, educators, musicologists, linguists, painters, philologists, poets, sinologists and many researchers have passed through the university's doors as students and faculty.

The university enrolls approximately 17,000 students each year. Approximately 1,500 students are international.^[14]

Since 2015, NTNU has been ranked within 350 in the QS World University Rankings (No. 331 in the world in 2020 and No. 61 in Asia). NTNU has been ranked among the top 50 in the world in the three disciplines of education, linguistics, and library and information management systems.

The affiliated senior high school of National Taiwan Normal University is also one of the top high schools in Taiwan. NTNU's dynamically evolving Mandarin Teaching Centre is a prime site for the study of Chinese language, attracting thousands of students from around the world.^[7]

History

 

Map including National Taiwan Normal University (labeled as 'College' on HO-P’ING-TUNG-LU 和平東路) (1950s)

 

NTNU Lecture Hall

National Taiwan Normal University opened its doors in the early 20th century during Japanese rule in Taiwan. Taiwan's Japanese governors established the school as Taiwan Provincial College. Soon after they gave it the name Taihoku College (Taihoku is "Taipei" in Japanese). The school's purpose was to nurture a native educated class qualified to assist the government in matters of administration. Many buildings on the university's main campus date from the Japanese colonial period, including the Administration Building, the Lecture Hall, Wenhui Hall and Puzi Hall. Japanese architects incorporated features of the Neo-Classical, Gothic and Gothic Revival styles often encountered on European university campuses. A room in the Lecture Hall housed the traditional Japanese document that authorizes and formalizes campus construction.^[15]

Some school publications still display 1946 as the institution's founding date in reference to this regime change. A number of Taiwan's leading authors, poets, artists, educators, painters, musicians, linguists, sinologists, philologists, philosophers, and researchers have passed through the university's doors as students and faculty. In 1956 the Mandarin Training Center opened its doors as an extension of the college. The school acquired its present name, National Taiwan Normal University, in 1967. By now the school had established itself as a recognized center of learning in arts, literature and the humanities; its fundamental mission, though, remained the preparation of teachers.

As Taiwanese society made its shift from authoritarian rule to democracy in the 1990s, the university saw its role transformed by passage of the 1994 Teacher Preparation Law. The law gave more schools responsibility for teacher training and set NTNU on its present course as a truly comprehensive university. New departments were created, course offerings and majors were expanded, and new faculty were hired. The university became a hub of international activity, enabling Taiwanese students to travel abroad, attracting international students to Taipei, and building exchange programs with dozens of sister institutions around the world.^[14]

University structure

 

Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra plays Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony in Taiwan's National Concert Hall.

 

NTNU Linkou Campus

NTNU occupies three campuses in downtown Taipei: the historic Daan campus/main campus (home of the Administration Building, Main Library, Music & Lecture Hall, Language Building, Athletic Center); the Gongguan campus (home of the College of Science); the Linkou campus^[14] and the university library campus hosting the school of continuing education.^[16] Academic programs at NTNU are administered by 10 colleges: arts, education, international studies & social sciences, liberal arts, management, musicology, science, sports & recreation, and technology & engineering.

As of November 2022 the school published the following figures^[14] for students enrolled and employees retained.

• Students enrolled: 15,112
• Undergraduate students: 8,394 (944 international students)
• Graduate students: 5,686 (682 international students)
• Overseas Chinese Students in Preparatory Programs: 1,032
• Faculty: 1,541

The university also runs the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, a daughter institution for secondary-school students in Taiwan.

International programs

 

The NTNU Language Studies Building houses the Mandarin Training Center

Internationally NTNU is best known for its Mandarin Training Center (formerly known as the Center for Chinese Language and Cultural Studies), a program founded in 1956 for the study of Mandarin Chinese to foreign students. The Mandarin Training Center represents one of the world's oldest and most distinguished programs for language study, attracting more than a thousand students from over sixty countries to Taiwan each year and making the Shida area of Taipei one of the city's most cosmopolitan.^[14] Courses in language, literature, calligraphy, art and martial arts are offered in a series of three-month terms throughout the year, enabling international students to undertake language studies during summer breaks and within single semesters. The center also sponsors travel, hosts speech contests, and stages workshops and performances for a variety of East Asian arts. A Mandarin Training Center Alumni Association (MTCAA) has been operating since 1998.

Other international highlights recently at NTNU include the International Chemistry Olympiad hosted by the university in 2005 and the merger of NTNU with the University Preparatory School for Overseas Chinese Students in 2006. NTNU also participates in the Biodiversity Program of the Taiwan International Graduate Program of Academia Sinica. A new dormitory for NTNU international students is slated to open in 2024.^[17]

NTNU nurtures a robust system of partnerships to enable this level of international study. Among the institutions that enjoy sister relationships with NTNU are the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California San Diego, University of California, Irvine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ohio State University, University of Maryland, College Park, and Rutgers University in the US, the University College London, King’s College, University of London, University of Manchester, University of Glasgow and University of Birmingham in the UK, the University of British Columbia, University of Alberta and Simon Fraser University in Canada, the Australian National University, and Monash University in Australia, the École normale supérieure de Lyon, Sciences Po and Aix-Marseille University in France, University of Heidelberg, Free University of Berlin and University of Bonn in Germany, the Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University in South Korea, Kyushu University, Osaka University, Hokkaido University, Nagoya University, Tohoku University, University of Tsukuba and Waseda University in Japan, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University in Singapore,University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong in HK, University of Auckland and University of Otago in New Zealand, University of Helsinki and University of Turku in Finland, Lund University and Uppsala University in Sweden, Leiden University and RSM Erasmus University in the Netherlands, Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil, University of Johannesburg in South Africa.^[18] NTNU's connections in the Asia-Pacific region are particularly extensive, including dozens of academic institutions representing South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.^[19]

NTNU signed the Taiwan Huayu BEST Program partnership with Pennsylvania State University, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Maryland, and University of Guam.^[20]

 

NTNU Main Library (outside at night)

Ranking

University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWU World^[21]	901-1000 (2020)
QS World^[22]	331 (2021)
THE World^[23]	601–800 (2021)
Regional – Overall
QS Asia^[24]	61 (2021)
THE Asia^[25]	119 (2020)

• U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities subject rankings:

Education and Educational Research: 9th (Asia's second)^[26]

• Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject:

Education: 15 (Asia's second)^[27]

• QS World University Rankings by Subject:

Education & Training: 26^[28]

Library & Information Management: 30^[29]

Linguistics: 53^[30]

Sports-Related Subjects: 51-100^[31]

Performing Arts: 101-115^[32]

Modern Languages: 101-150^[33]

• Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) of Academic Subjects:

Education: 51-75 (Asia's third)^[34]

• Global Views Monthly Taiwan's Best University Rankings:

Universities focusing on humanities and social sciences: 1st^[35]

List of NTNU People

Notable faculty^[36]

• Apo Hsu (Hsu Ching-Hsin 許瀞心) – conductor
• Chen Daqi – a polymath, politician and pioneer of modern psychology in China
• Chen Houei-kuen – painter
• Cornelius C. (Neil) Kubler – American professor and scholar of Mandarin, Taiwanese and other dialects of Chinese; former U.S. diplomat
• Kuo-En Chang – a computer education scholar, currently the president of the National Taiwan Normal University
• Howard S.H. Shyr – a law scholar and politician
• Hu Qiuyuan – an author, educator and politician.
• Lee Shih-chiao – painter
• Lee Tze-Fan – painter
• Liang Shih-chiu – the first Chinese scholar to single-handedly translate the complete works of Shakespeare into Chinese
• Li Meishu – Zushi Temple designer
• Lin Yu-shan – painter
• Lo, Kii-Ming – musicologist
• Mou Zongsan – Chinese New Confucian philosopher
• Puru – artist, calligrapher, and member of the Qing dynasty ruling Aisin Gioro family and grandson of the Daoguang Emperor
• Shan-Hua Chien – musicologist
• Su Xuelin – Chinese author and writer
• Tyzen Hsiao – composer of the neo-Romantic school
• Wen-Pin Hope Lee – Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning composer
• Xie Bingying – a female soldier and writer born in Loudi, Hunan
• Yeh Shin-cheng – an environment scholar and politician
• Yu Guangzhong – a writer, poet, educator, and critic

Notable alumni^[36]

• Ang Ui-jin – Taiwanese linguist. He was the chief architect of the Taiwanese Language Phonetic Alphabet
• Chang Chun-Yen – Taiwanese science education scholar
• Chen Hung-ling – Taiwanese badminton player
• Chen Kuei-miao – Taiwanese politician
• Cheng Shao-chieh – Taiwanese badminton player
• Chi Shu-ju – Taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist
• Chien Yu-chin – Chinese Taipei badminton player
• Chih-Ta Chia – Taiwanese science scholar
• Chong Yee-Voon – Malaysian writer
• Chuang Chi-fa – Taiwanese historian
• C.-T. James Huang – (PhD 1982) generative linguist, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Harvard, Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America (2015), recipient of the Linguistic Society of Taiwan's Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
• Den-Wu Chen – Taiwanese historian, the former chairman of the Department of History at National Taiwan Normal University
• Evan Yo – Taiwanese Mandopop singer
• Fan-Long Ko – Taiwanese composer
• Gong Hwang-cherng – Taiwanese linguist
• Han Hsiang-ning – Chinese American artist
• Hsieh Chang-heng – Baseball player in the CPBL
• Hsu Shui-teh – Taiwanese politician
• Huang Kun-huei – Chairman of Taiwan Solidarity Union
• Huang Min-hui – Vice Chairperson of Kuomintang, former Mayor of Chiayi City
• Jackson T.-S. Sun – Taiwanese linguist
• Ku Chin-shui – Taiwanese aboriginal athlete
• Le Chien-Ying – Taiwanese archer
• Lee Chu-feng – Kinmen's politician
• Li Hsing – Taiwanese film director
• Lin Jeng-yi – Director of National Palace Museum
• Lin Mun-lee – Taiwanese art scholar
• Shara Lin – Taiwanese actress
• Tung-Tai Lin – a professor at the Graduate Institute of Mass Communication at National Taiwan Normal University.
• Man-houng Lin – Taiwanese historian, the first woman president of the Academia Historica
• Liu Yong – Taiwanese painter and essayist
• Lorene Ren – Taiwanese actress
• Lu Yen-hsun – Taiwanese professional tennis player
• Ma Sen – Taiwanese writer
• Paul Jen-kuei Li – Taiwanese linguist
• Peng Wan-ru – Taiwanese feminist
• Selina Jen – member of the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E
• Su I-Chieh – Taiwanese professional basketball player
• Tien Lei – Basketball player
• Tseng Shu-o – Professional Soccer player in Australia
• Uğur Rıfat Karlova – Turkish stand-up comedian
• Wai-lim Yip – Hong Kong and Taiwanese poet
• Wang Tuoh – Former Secretary-General of Democratic Progressive Party
• Wang Jin-pyng – President of the Legislative Yuan
• Wilbur Lin, conductor of the Missouri Symphony
• Wong Chin-chu – Former Magistrate of Changhua County, former Minister of Council for Cultural Affairs
• Wu Ching-ji – Taiwanese educator
• Cheng-Chih Wu – Taiwanese computer science education scholar, currently the vice president of the National Taiwan Normal University
• Xi Murong – Taiwanese poet and painter
• Yang Chih-liang – Taiwanese politician
• Yuan Shu-chi – Taiwanese archer

Mandarin Training Center alumni

• Richard Bernstein – American journalist
• March Fong Eu – American politician
• Andrew Fastow – former CFO of Enron
• Howard Goldblatt – American literary translator
• Imre Hamar – Hungarian scholar of Chinese studies
• Ryutaro Hashimoto – former Prime Minister of Japan
• Jon Huntsman, Jr. – former United States Ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1993, and China from 2009 to 2011; current U.S. Ambassador to Russia
• Koichi Kato – former government minister of Japan
• Pierre Ryckmans – Belgian-Australian writer, essayist and sinologist
• Kevin Rudd – former Prime Minister of Australia
• Chie Tanaka – Japanese model and actress
• Richard Vuylsteke – President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong
• Stephen H. West – American sinologist

Nomenclature

The standard abbreviated reference to National Taiwan Normal University in English is the acronym NTNU. The standard abbreviated form in Mandarin Chinese is the portmanteau Shi1da4. Romanized as "Shida", this form appears transliterated in place names associated with the campus: Shida Road, Shida Night Market, Shida Bookstore, and the like.

The word normal in the school's name perpetuates an English usage of the term that, if archaic in some countries, remains common in Asia. A "normal school" trains future teachers in educational norms.

MTC is the standard acronym for the Mandarin Training Center.

See also

• Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University
• Mandarin Training Center

References

1. 校訓 [School Motto] (in Chinese). NTNU. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
2. . NTNU. Archived from the original on 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
3. "NTNU-About Us".
4. "::: Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools".
5. The name of the university is translated using Chinese word order. By English grammar rules, it is National Normal University of Taiwan.
6. "All 124 Universities in Taiwan | Rankings & Reviews 2018". LanguageCourse.Net. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
7. "NTNU-Office of the President". en.ntnu.edu.tw. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
8. "The世界大學排名 臺師大「國際化」全臺第一".
9. 國立臺灣大學系統. triangle.ntu.edu.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2018-08-10.
10. "Implementation Organization : International Consortium for Universities of Education in East Asia". www2.u-gakugei.ac.jp. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
11. "Our Members". uaited.ust.edu.tw. 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
12. "::: Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools". www.aapbs.org (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
13. "NTNU- National Taiwan Normal University". en.ntnu.edu.tw. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
14. "NTNU-About Us". en.ntnu.edu.tw. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
15. Public historical marker at NTNU Lecture Hall, Viewed 2007-08-04
16. Hao-Yu, NTNU Extension, School of Continuing Education: Wu. "國立臺灣師範大學進修推廣學院". www.sce.ntnu.edu.tw. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
17. https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202001140012 'NTNU to build new dorm for international students', Focus Taiwan, 2020.01.14
18. school website, NTNU (December 29, 2022). "Partner Institutions". NTNU school website. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
19. List of Partner Institutions Accessed 2015-09-03
20. NTNU Overseas Mandarin Training Center (December 29, 2022). "About us". Taiwan Huayu BEST Program X NTNU Overseas Mandarin Training Center. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
21. Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020
22. 2021 QS World University Rankings
23. Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021
24. 2021 QS Asian University Rankings
25. Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2020
26. "Best Global Universities for Education and Educational Research". U.S. News & World Report. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
27. "World University Rankings 2019 by subject: education". Times Higher Education World University Rankings. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
28. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Education & Training 2022". QS World University Rankings. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
29. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019: Library & Information Management". QS World University Rankings. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
30. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021: Linguistics". QS World University Rankings. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
31. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Sports-Related Subjects". QS World University Rankings. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
32. "QS World University Rankings for Performing Arts 2022". Top Universities. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
33. "QS World University Rankings for Modern Languages 2022". Top Universities. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
34. "2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects". Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
35. "NTNU- National Taiwan Normal University". en.ntnu.edu.tw. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
36. "NTNU-Resources&Offices". en.ntnu.edu.tw. Retrieved 2018-08-10.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Taiwan Normal University.

• National Taiwan Normal University official website (in Chinese and English)

Coordinates: 25°01′33″N 121°31′36″E / 25.0258°N 121.5266°E / 25.0258; 121.5266