Paradigms Revisited: Launch of NTU 90th Anniversary Feature Collection

In celebration of NTU’s 90th anniversary, NTU Press republished a collection of 10 seminal academic monographs and textbooks (in 13 volumes) written by NTU faculty or alumni. These works have been recognized as monumentally innovative and influential in their individual fields. The launch of the Feature Collection for NTU’s 90th Anniversary thus epitomizes the University’s tenacious efforts in the pursuit of truth and the development of bright minds.

The launch ceremony was held on November 6 in the Administration Building, attended by Interim President Tei-Wei Kuo (郭大維), top administrators, editorial board members, and several of the authors, including Academician of Academia Sinica Simon M. Sze (施敏), NTU Prof. of Law Lian-Gong Chiou (邱聯恭), and NTU Joint Prof. of Economics Ching-Hsi Chang (張清溪).

The 10 books cover a wide range of topics, including lectures on rice cultivation methods given during Japanese colonial rule, Hai-Guang Yin (殷海光) and liberalism, management, economics, public health, procedural institution, semiconductor devices, Asian social psychology, history of Chinese literature, and the relationship between migrant domestic workers and their employees in Taiwan.

In his address, Director Tay-Sheng Wang (王泰升) of NTU Press explained the rigorous process of selecting the publications to be included in the collection, appreciating the dedicated scholars now and then for making substantial contributions to human knowledge. Wang also highlighted the distinctive aspects of the collection, including its great diversity of research domains, the long time span of the writings, and the several languages (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, and English) in which the books were written. As a leading university press in Taiwan, NTU Press will work tirelessly towards enhancing human civilization and welfare.

On reaching the memorable milestone of 90th anniversary, Interim President Kuo envisioned NTU to be not only a good university but a great university. In the past nine decades, NTU has undauntedly faced all the changes and challenges while pushing ahead with sociopolitical reforms and breakthroughs in teaching and research. This collection thus embodies our enduring efforts in and commitment to public welfare and social responsibility.

NTU Press Editor-in-Chief Shih‐Chu Tang (湯世鑄) pointed out the pertinence of publishing such a collection at the University's 90th anniversary. According to Tang, although most of the copyrights of the 10 books do not belong to NTU Press, the authors and the original publishers gladly granted authorization after learning the idea of the collection. Moreover, each book is preceded by a detailed introduction written by a scholar or expert in the specific field to help readers grasp the crux of the content.

Prof. of Sociology Kuo-Hsien Su (蘇國賢), an editorial board member, took the stage to introduce the features of the books, revealing the process of how the 10 monographs and textbooks that are immensely impactful to both knowledge and talent development have been selected.

Two of the authors then shared how the books were written. Dr. Simon M. Sze, Academician of Academia Sinica and author of Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology, was recommended to Bell Labs after graduating from NTU and Stanford University with a doctoral degree. As all engineers at Bell Labs were required to take or offer an optional course, Sze decided to teach a course on semiconductor devices, and thus started compiling handwritten handouts which later became a classic textbook in this field. Dr. Sze expressed his delight in seeing this textbook contribute to Taiwan’s economic development.

NTU Joint Prof. of Economics Ching-Hsi Chang, one of the authors of Economics: Theory and Practice, described the concerted efforts of four professors in compiling teaching materials for an economics course at National Open University when it was just established. To familiarize students with the current economic situations of Taiwan, the professors incorporated relevant information and content in the materials, paid special attention to formatting to ensure readability, and finally compiled the course materials into the present textbook. Prof. Chang was glad to see the collaborative work of teaching and research included in the collection.