"A Stream Guardian," an Interdisciplinary Innovative Practice at Tunghai University
In the second phase of the Higher Education Deep Deep-plow Project, Tunghai University's third cross-disciplinary innovation school, the School of Ecology and Environment, has officially launched, focusing on topics such as ecological and environmental change and sustainable management, environmental Internet of Things, big data analysis, and circular economy. In 2010, the University focused on the "water" aspect of eco-sustainability and promoted the school-level "Smart Ecology" project, using Tunghai Lake on campus and Dongda Creek bordering the University as practice sites; we focus on the eight United Nations sustainability goals, including health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), clean water and sanitation (SDG 5), employment and economic growth (SDG 8), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and building partnerships with global partners (SDG 17). Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Building Global Partnerships (SDG 17), with practical actions on the circular economy, environmental monitoring, and eco-sustainability. Of course, Dongda Creek, which is located on the side of our campus, is the primary target of our efforts to promote a sustainable environment.
Dongda Creek is a southern tributary of the Fazi River. For decades, it has silently endured the business and livelihood wastewater produced by the Donghai Night Market business district, which not only affects the ecology of the watershed and the surrounding environment of the campus, but also indirectly pollutes the Fazi River downstream, and the foul-smelling water quality shuns away students, teachers, and nearby residents.
In 2010, the University and Taichung City Government jointly promoted the water quality and water environment improvement project of Dongda Creek. With the support of the central foresight infrastructure: "Fazi Creek Water Environment Improvement Project (Dongda Creek Water Environment and Neighboring Area Environmental Improvement)" and the 300 million of self-funding by the Taichung City Government, we started with the improvement of the ecological environment of Dongda Creek, the purification of domestic sewage in the Donghai Villa business district, and the beautification of the surrounding landscape.
Taichung City Water Resources Bureau Director Shih-yi Fan; Vice Mayor Chung-ying Yang; Tunghai University President Mao-jun Wang; and NTU Professor, Hung-yuan Li (from left to right)
Dongda Creek Water Environment and Neighborhood Environmental Improvement Project Groundbreaking Ceremony
In addition to purifying the water quality and improving the ecological environment of Dongda Creek upstream, the University also started the stream protection action of Fazi Creek downstream. In 2010, with the core concept of "Out of Campus Service" of Student Community Service Education 4.0, our school combined the Wilderness Society's spirit of "bending over to clean streams and doing practical work," and started a series of stream protection actions. A total of 21 students attended the course General Education (Environmental Ethics in Tunghai University) which involved the Wilderness Society teachers to bring in the ecological explanation of the Fazi stream, knowledge of stream cleaning, and practical skills to continue and deepen the students' awareness of stream protection. In addition, we have promoted regular stream cleaning activities, and the number of participants has reached 297 so far.
Tunghai Student Community Service Program and Wilderness Society's First Collaborative Fazi Creek Stream Cleaning Event
The purification and maintenance of Dongda Creek and Razi Creek is the school's responsibility to the environment and it is also an important field of practice for teaching, research, and learning for our teachers and students, and we expect to become a model school for ecological education in Taiwan. We have established the Water Culture and Environmental Education Center on campus to record and present the process and results of the Dongda Creek Water Quality Improvement Project, including water purification, community civic participation, environmental ecology, environmental sustainability, and environmental education, in a variety of ways, and to promote the concept of loving water and the environment by combining it with our unique ecological education series.
The related results are also presented in the "Social Information Integration Practice Platform" of Tunghai University (http:/usr.thu.edu.tw). In addition to demonstrating the University's efforts and contributions to global issues, the University will also integrate and collect the results of social practice from all over the University, hoping to explore more possibilities for social practice with the community.
Introduction to Dongda Creek at Dongda Creek Water Culture and Environmental Education Center
1. Dongda Creek Culture and Environment Education Center：https://donda.lutor.org/
2. Social information integration practice platform：http://usr.thu.edu.tw/ Social information integration practice platform
3. Taichung News：東海師生走出校園淨溪 呼籲全民愛護環境 Tunghai teachers and students come out of campus to clean the stream and call on the whole community to care for the environment
4. Tunghai News：東海大學勞作教育及師生跨系攜手荒野保護協會常態筏子溪淨溪 Tunghai University's Student Community Service Education and Interdepartmental Faculty and Students join hands with the Wilderness Conservation Society to clean the Fazi stream
5. New Headlines：三河局筏子溪淨溪活動 民眾熱情參與以實際行動守護河川 Sanhe Bureau Fazi stream cleaning activities, the public enthusiastically participate in practical actions to protect the river
6. Dongda Creek Film Workshop：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVDOIPQmGUg&feature=emb_title
7. Dongda Creek Tunghai Lake Bionic Design Mission on Mars：「生態、綠能、永續」親生命環境智造展 東海大學校園重大計畫超吸睛 an Ecological Campus
Integrating the energy of social practice and spreading the results of social innovation-Tunghai University's social practice information integration platform
Tunghai University is known for its rich humanistic spirit and upholds the founding spirit of Truth, Faith, and Deeds. The university's faculty and students are actively and continuously engaged in community service and social practice through numerous social practice initiatives and projects, such as Student Community Service Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology's Human Society Project, the Earth Project, the Ministry of Education's University Social Responsibility Practice Project (USR project), and the University Social Responsibility Practice Hub (USR Hub), which continue to focus on issues such as local creativity, aging, food and agriculture, air pollution, ecological environment, and children's education. In terms of promoting sustainable development and social responsibility, the University also has a comprehensive development strategy, implementation steps, promotion mechanism, and effectiveness evaluation. The result of our continuous innovation and dedication is evident in our participation in various social responsibility and sustainability competitions in recent years, where we have been recognized repeatedly. In the 2020 Times Higher Education Institution World University Impact Ranking, we were ranked 100-200th in the world, third in the country, and first in the private university sector; we were awarded the first prize in the 2020 Global Views Magazine's "1st University USR Outstanding Program - Life Co-prosperity Category," the first place in the nation's participating universities; we were selected for the "109 National Sustainable Development Award" organized by the National Council for Sustainable Development, Executive Yuan; we received the "Taiwan Exemplary Sustainable University Award" in the 2020 "Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Award" organized by TCSA, and we won gold medals in both the "University USR Sustainable Program Award" and the "University Sustainability Report Award". The USR Category C project "Practice and Collaboration of Community Aging Service Support System" was also recognized by the Ministry of Education, and won the "2020 University Social Practice Online Expo-Specific Theme Video" award in the Health and Welfare category, which is a fruitful implementation.
Tunghai University Receives Three Sustainability Awards from Taiwan's Model Universities for Sustainability
Xijun Gao (left), the founder of Commonwealth Group, presents an award to Maojun Wang, the president of Tunghai University
In order to integrate the abundant social practice achievements and innovative energy of the university, the university completed the establishment of the "Tunghai University Social Practice Information Integration Platform" with the support of the Ministry of Education's Higher Education Deepening Project. The Social Practice Information Integration Platform has three key features: horizontal integration, vertical integration, and integration with the world of sustainability. In the section on horizontal integration, all units of the university are working together to maintain data. The "one-stop" data maintenance model allows each unit to easily synchronize data between the website and the platform; in the section on vertical integration, all projects and achievements related to social practice since the founding of the university are retraced, presenting a "timeline" of social practice and achievements since the founding of the university; in the section on connecting with global sustainable development, various social practice initiatives of the university and the establishment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked, and the efforts and contributions of the university to various global issues are presented in a special section.
Tunghai University Social Practice Information Integration Platform Promotion Framework
Through the social practice information integration platform, we record and integrate various professional service-learning courses, volunteer services, overseas services, club services, and social practice projects promoted by the Student Community Service Education Office, Academic Affairs Office, Computing Center, and various departments. It is a breakthrough from the limitations of the previous organizational division of labor, and effectively integrates the university's service resources, social practice student development and faculty training, and service practice areas and achievements, linking and focusing the university's social influence, as well as allowing cooperating schools, institutions and communities to seek possibilities for cooperation and innovation through this platform, developing more innovative service solutions, further deepening and spreading the university's social practice energy, and showcasing the university's social practice context since its founding.
Tunghai University Social Practice Information Integration Platform
Under the vision of sustainable development of liberal arts and technology, Tunghai University is committed to continuing to play the role of a social change practitioner, integrating ai and digital technology, connecting with regional and international partners, nurturing future talents with cross-disciplinary diversity through various innovative actions, and maximizing social impact, hoping to become a model of social practice and innovation for universities nationwide.
1. TCSA台灣企業永續獎TCSA Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Award：
USR楷模深耕社會責任 實踐SDGs的好大學 USR exemplary deep social responsibility practice SDGs good university
2. 自由時報Liberty Times：
2020泰晤士世界大學影響力排名 東海大學全國第三、私校第一 2020 Times World University Impact Ranking Tunghai University 3rd in Taiwan, 1st in private schools
3. 新浪新聞Sina News：
《遠見雜誌》第一屆大學USR傑出方案東海大學榮獲首獎 "Vision Magazine" First University usr Outstanding Program Tunghai University won the first award
4. 東大新聞Tunghai University News：
東海大學USR 「C」計畫榮獲「2020大學社會實踐線上博覽會-特定主題影片獎」 Tunghai University's USR "c" project won the "2020 University Social Practice Online Expo - Theme Specific Video Award"
5. 東海大學社會實踐資訊整合平台Tunghai University Social Practice Information Integration Platform：
http://se.thu.edu.tw/