Responding to Technological Trends: Xu Hejie Emphasizes the Importance of Humanities and Arts in the AI Era for Universities of Technology

As the world debates how AI will change the world, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang recently donated to establish an art, architecture, and design college at Vanderbilt University in the United States. Xu Hejie, former dean of the College of Creative Design and Arts at Tzu Chi University and the new president of Tainan University of Technology, highly endorses Huang's idea that 'technology allows us to create more things, while art and design determine why we create them, and both shape civilization.' At a critical time when Taiwan is pursuing AI technology, he believes that universities of technology, which bear the mission of higher education, should not blindly pursue technological manufacturing but should instead strengthen humanities, arts, aesthetic education, and design thinking. In the future, Tainan University of Technology will collaborate with National Taiwan Normal University and Tzu Chi University to deepen the development and cross-university cooperation in related fields. Tainan University of Technology held a presidential inauguration ceremony today (October 27th), presided over by Chairman Huang Ji-zheng, officially handing over the presidency to Professor Xu Hejie as the 13th president, taking on the important mission of leading the school into the next stage of development. The ceremony was attended by numerous distinguished guests, including former Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jinping, Tainan University of Technology Chairman Huang Ji-zheng, Acting President Liu Xiuxiang, Tzu Chi University President Zhang Guoen, National Taiwan Normal University President Song Yaoting, former Taiwan National University of the Arts President Huang Guangnan, National Kaohsiung Normal University President Wang Zhengyan, National Palace Museum Director Xiao Zonghuang, Tainan City Museum of Art Chairman You Wenmei, Tainan City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Huang Yaling, National Taiwan Normal University Honorary Professor Su Xianfa, Chang Gung University College of Management Dean Li Shuxing, Tzu Chi University Vice President Zhang Jixiu, Fubon Art Museum Deputy Director Lin Yujie, Zhangqing Construction Chairman Si Yancheng, and Xinchang Chairman Deng Chuanxin, among other heavyweights from the education and political circles, all attending to congratulate. Wang Jinping, in his speech, affirmed Xu Hejie's past achievements and proposed the importance of Tainan University of Technology in promoting art and cultural education to reshape human civilization. He hoped that President Xu could apply AI to expand a broader and more specialized cultural and creative display, and help Tainan University of Technology become even more powerful! Creating civilization for the future world! President Zhang Guoen pointed out that President Xu Hejie has an attitude of pursuing perfection and a sense of responsibility. In the AI era, only attitude cannot be replaced. Vocational education can make up for the shortcomings of the AI era, emphasizing 'turning simple things into not simple, turning ordinary things into not ordinary.' He looks forward to President Xu realizing paradigm shift and leading Tainan University of Technology to become one of the most important universities of technology in Taiwan. Professor Xu Hejie graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. After obtaining his master's degree, he taught at the Department of Fine Arts at Tainan Family College (Tainan Family Junior College) for nearly ten years. He then served as the head of the Department of Fine Arts at National University of Tainan, the head of the Department of Design at National Taiwan Normal University, and the director of general affairs. In 2022, he joined the Department of Industrial Design at Tzu Chi University, serving as the director of continuing education, director of general affairs, and dean of the College of Creative Design and Arts, and was awarded the Ministry of Education's 12th Arts Education Contribution Award 'Excellence in Teaching,' cultivating numerous talents in arts and creative design. For Xu Hejie, Tainan Family College is the origin of his teaching career. Now, returning to Tainan University of Technology as the president is not only an honor but also a responsibility and mission. The two former presidents of Xu Hejie's alma mater, National Taiwan Normal University, both proposed their educational philosophies to bless him. Recently, in a speech in Bangkok, President Zhang Guoen, who proposed building an 'AI-native university,' and President Song Yaoting emphasized the importance of vocational education and vocational education in the AI era, and also agreed with Huang's philosophy, calling on higher education to pay more attention to liberal arts and humanities education. President Xu Hejie of Tainan University of Technology believes that universities of technology, which bear the mission of higher education, should not blindly pursue technological manufacturing but should instead strengthen humanities, arts, aesthetic education, and design thinking. (Image/Tainan University of Technology) Xu Hejie pointed out that while the world is debating how artificial intelligence will change the world, the fields of fine arts and design in higher education are also facing enormous transformation and change. The California College of the Arts, with a 120-year history and regarded as an important cradle of California's artistic talents, announced that it will soon close due to declining enrollment; at the same time, the Huang couple announced a donation of approximately NT$2.4 billion to Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, USA, to help it build an art, architecture, and design college in its San Francisco campus. Xu Hejie believes that the key to this international attention lies in Huang's emphasis on 'creativity being an important engine for driving innovation.' As the former dean of the College of Creative Design and Arts at Tzu Chi University, he deeply agrees with this and also states that art and design can interact with technology to jointly shape human civilization; however, technology can never replace humanities, nor can it deviate from the core value of 'people-centered.' The progress of civilization should not be built only on the ethereal imagination of technology but should, through the creativity brought by art and design, endow technology with temperature, direction, and soul, so that human imagination can not only reach the future but also settle as eternal civilization. Xu Hejie emphasized that Tainan is a city with a deep historical and cultural heritage and should become a fertile soil for the vibrant development of creative life. Tainan University of Technology has long been deeply rooted in cultural creativity, art design, music, dance, fine arts, fashion, catering, tourism, and life service and other characteristic fields. It is not only the only university of technology in the country with an art college but also an important base for cultivating cultural creativity and life industry talents in southern Taiwan. In the future, NUTN will, based on Tainan's rich humanistic assets, play a key role in the process of urban transformation and industrial upgrading, and promote Tainan to become a cultural and creative and life industry hub in southern Taiwan. He pointed out that while Taiwan is making every effort to promote the development of AI technology, universities of technology that bear the mission of higher education cannot only pursue technological and manufacturing capabilities but should also strengthen humanities, arts, aesthetic education, and design thinking at the same time. 'Technology determines how fast we can go, and humanities and aesthetics guide us to where we should go.' Only by letting technology and humanities advance side by side can we cultivate future talents who truly possess creativity, judgment, and social concern. Xu Hejie said that at the age of 28, he started teaching at the former family college, and now he can return to the NUTN he once served. He recalled the days when he used to clean the school with his students at 7:30 every morning and then rush to raise the flag, feeling grateful and touched. He said that NUTN has parts that AI cannot replace, such as music, art, dance, and our design, as well as our aesthetics of life, which are irreplaceable. Culture has temperature, so in the future, it is very important to help reignite the original intention of teaching and being a teacher, and together with AI, cultivate students with aesthetic taste and professional craftsmen. Xu Hejie said that NUTN has a rare and complete art and life aesthetics education system in the country. This is not only the most precious brand value of the school but also the most competitive advantage for future development. He felt grateful and touched, adhering to the educational philosophy of 'educating life and life educating,' and in the future, NUTN will cooperate with National Taiwan Normal University and Tzu Chi University to deepen cross-university cooperation and resource integration, jointly expanding the development of humanities, arts, design innovation, and AI cross-domain applications. Looking to the future, NUTN will take 'cultivating aesthetic living craftsmen' as the core educational vision, focusing on the five major development axes of AI, aesthetics, sustainability, internationalization, and local regeneration. It will integrate the school's teaching, research, and industry-university resources, integrating artificial intelligence, digital technology, cultural creativity, and design thinking into catering, tourism, fashion design, information technology, and management. The school will also actively link up with enterprises and local industries to promote smart campuses, digital transformation, international exchange, and local regeneration, so that every major can have aesthetics and every technology can have temperature, further building a characteristic university of technology jointly cultivated by the whole school to cultivate aesthetic living craftsmen.