MLIS 2019 will be held in Shoufeng Campus of National Dong Hwa University (NDHU), Hualien, Taiwan.
Address : No. 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Rd., Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan

History of National Dong Hwa University

The National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) is a comprehensive public institution of higher learning in Hualien County, Taiwan. The present university results from the 2008 merger of two public institutions: the National Dong Hwa University founded in 1994 (today's Shoufeng campus in Shoufeng Township), and the National Hualien University of Education founded in 1947 (today's Meilun campus in Hualien City). NDHU currently has three campuses: Shoufeng, Meilun and Pingtung. In Pingtung, NDHU collaborates with the National Museum of Marine Biology, which also undertakes the campus administration. Meilun campus was the site for the former National Hualien University of Education before it integrated with NDHU. As planned, Shoufeng will be the single consolidated campus by August 2011 after the completion of the new buildings for integration.

About Shoufeng Campus of NDHU Amounting to a total of 750 acres, Shoufeng campus is spacious with panoramic views. Nestled between the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range, it is located at the northern end of East Rift Valley. Surrounded on the outskirts by Hualien River, Mugua River and Lao River, the campus was constructed on an alluvial gravel plain formerly for cultivating watermelon and sugar cane. The Main Gate, Administration Building, Library, Student Activity Center, and Sports Center are aligned on the central axis with the Library located at the center. On the east of the axis are colleges for science, engineering, and comprehensive studies while on the west are colleges for humanities, social sciences, and management. Subsistent amenities, including dormitories, faculty quarters, sports facilities, and power and sewage plants are scattered on the periphery. By functionality, the campus can be divided into two main regions, the academic and administrative region, and the subsistent region. These two regions are connected together through a road system. The Inner Ring Road links buildings in the academic and administrative region; the Mid-Ring Road connects the two main regions and the Outer Ring Road circumvents the campus. Centrally located, the academic and administrative region is separated from the subsistent region by a waterway connecting three lakes. Besides beautifying the campus, the lakes and the waterway also serve for rainwater drainage and flood prevention. Since inception, campus development basically followed the layout plan with colleges constructed at the designated sites accordingly. Development not in the initial plan was also constructed under the same planning and construction criteria. College of Indigenous Studies and College of Environmental Studies are located on the sites for comprehensive studies, and College of Education is situated in the area for social sciences. At a height of 53 m, the Library Tower is the tallest structure on campus. The Library and the Administration Building are of six stories and all others are of four stories or less. With the Library as the center, all other buildings fan out with a gradual descent to the outskirts.

Other than the buildings in the academic and administrative region, and the subsistent region, the campus maintains green belt with well-planned public facilities. From this respect, NDHU has the potential to develop as an eco-campus. In fact, NDHU is proud of its three treasures on campus: hare, pheasant, and Chinese Spiranthes. Hares and voles were abundant in the past. With the ongoing development, the population of hare has decreased but they still breed in certain areas. Pheasants are frequently seen foraging in the woodland, especially at dawn and at dusk. Chosen as a mascot, puppet pheasant appears in most of the university activities. Chinese Spiranthes are only noticeable with their pink spiral flowers in bloom around the Tomb-Sweeping Day in April. The plant is sought after for its medical value and has been under conservation. In order to preserve the three treasures of NDHU, regulations prohibiting plant picking and game poaching are adopted.

At present, the University boasts over 500 scholars who dedicate themselves to teaching and research; more than ninety-eight percent of these full-time faculty members hold Ph.D. degrees from the world's most prestigious universities. National Dong Hwa University is a research-based, teaching-oriented institution with great promise and potential in many areas. Through the steady addition of new academic programs over the next decade, National Dong Hwa University will eventually consist of the following nine colleges in humanities, natural sciences, engineering, management, social sciences, indigenous Studies, environmental studies, marine sciences, and fine and applied arts. Moreover, the University will house a wide range of interdisciplinary research centers ultimately catering to a student body of over ten thousand. We are fully convinced that National Dong Hwa University will attain its ultimate goal of becoming one of the finest institutes of higher learning in Taiwan - if not all of Asia and the rest of the world - in the years to come.

Set between mountains and sea in a valley where a backdrop of natural beauty and a tapestry of cultures invite broad new perspectives, a place apart from the confines of city life, National Dong Hwa University commands Taiwan's largest campus, a place of spacious lawns, scenic vistas, and elegant modern architecture, a place where a first-rate faculty and state-of-the-art facilities open the world of learning up to exploration.

International Cooperation

National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) recognizes the importance of academic exchange and collaboration. To this end, the University actively seeks opportunities of exchange and cooperation with higher educational and research institutes worldwide. Currently, NDHU has developed academic links with over 40 universities and research institutes domestically and internationally. The University also has reciprocal student exchange programs.