The 15th Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards (TCSA), organized by the Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Institute, had 424 participants, a 29% increase over last year and a record high. It is clear that sustainable development has become a major concern for all sectors. The Award's chief convenor, Ambassador Eugene Chien, said that this year, a total of 47 universities, accounting for nearly one-third of the universities in Taiwan, participated in the award. This is a good observation of the way in which universities are now operating, not only by focusing on academic research, but also by exercising their core competencies and responding specifically to the pressing issues of sustainable development of the planet. Through campus governance, teaching, talent cultivation, research and development, academics, community care, and knowledge transfer, Tunghai University is actively integrating with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and interacting with society to make more positive contributions to the sustainable development of Taiwan and the world.

Tunghai University and Tsinghua University ranked No. 1 among Taiwan's model universities for sustainability.

Tunghai University has established a campus-wide sustainability governance mechanism by combining the Office of University Social Responsibility (USR), the Office of Institutional Research (IR), and the Office of Sustainable Development established in 2022, and has set up a 1.5-hectare Smart Zero Demonstration Campus, a green university, and a cross-disciplinary sustainable talent cultivation base. At the same time, Tsinghua University will guide enterprises to promote various forward-looking sustainability strategies and solutions, and work with them to implement SDGs with a mutually beneficial mindset and actions.

Tsinghua University combines classroom learning, campus activities, service learning, and social experiences to expand the scope of study, enrich learning content, and foster a diverse, flexible, and cross-disciplinary learning environment and innovative education model to cultivate cross-disciplinary talents with local care and global mobility. In addition, through the operation of the School's Sustainable Development Committee, Tsinghua's sustainable development strategy is formulated, internal and external resources are unified, cross-disciplinary cooperation is promoted, and faculty members are guided to promote sustainable development goals in a comprehensive manner in order to realize the sustainable development goals as outlined in Tsinghua's school motto, "Self-Strengthening, Virtuous, and Virtuous".

Evergreen University, Chaoyang University of Science and Technology, and Taipei University were selected as a model university for sustainability for the first time.

In response to our goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, Chaoyang University has announced that it will reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. In the area of community involvement, we have established a social university information and learning center, set up a senior citizen college and caretaker offices, and promoted community care such as food banks and charity sales to implement the university's social responsibility program.

In 2016, Evergreen University established the International Center for Ecological Education of Jane Goode Roots and Shoots, and in 2017, it established the first Yunus Center for Social Enterprise in southern Taiwan, and in 2020, it established the Sustainable Living Laboratory, which is closely linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, we will actively promote social service, environmental protection, and social engagement, establish universal university values, and advance fearlessly toward the goal of a quality international Christian university.

In addition to the development of sustainable governance organizations and social responsibility practice promotion programs, Taipei University has integrated internal and external resources, established the Center for Corporate Sustainability Research, created the SEED Corporate Sustainability Rating System, and constructed the "Taiwan Sustainability Assessment" model. From theory to practice, we will create a comprehensive sustainability signature.

Ambassador Chien expressed his appreciation for the participation of a professional jury of experts, academics and industry leaders in this competition. The evaluation of the university's overall performance is based on six major components: "university sustainability vision and strategy," "university governance performance," "social inclusion performance," "environmental sustainability performance," "financial planning and operational performance," and "compliance or rewarding performance," which is very different from the traditional assessment approach that focuses on academic performance, research, teaching, internationalization and graduate performance. Instead, the assessment is focused on demonstrating the university's comprehensive social impact in terms of governance, society, environment, and partnerships. Overall, the judges were impressed and impressed by the university's concrete efforts to promote sustainability through innovative and integrated academic strengths and the linkage with the United Nations' sustainability goals.

Corporate giants gather to share the glory of sustainability and welcome applications

This year's award ceremony is once again combined with the 5th GCSF Global Corporate Sustainability Forum (GCSF), which will be held from November 16 to 18, and will be attended by thousands of people.

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