NTHU has recently set up a new program to honor professors who have made outstanding contribution in student mentoring. In the morning of June 5, 2009, President Wen-Tsuen Chen hosted the first award ceremony in the International Conference Room. This year¡¦s awards went to Professors Ite A. Yu from the College of Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum, Angela Yu-Ping Hsu from the Department of Foreign Language and Yuh-Chang Sun from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences.

Prof. Ite A. Yu believes in "treating students as friends and maintaining close contact with them at all times. This way they will come to you when they need help. Unlike high school students, college student are young adults who don't need constant advice. It is more important to help them learn self-management." Prof. Yu has advised a great number of students and he never forgets a name or a face. He always makes time for students who have issues to discuss. He tells them to always pursue their dreams and gives utmost support to those who want to seek a different path in life.

Prof. Angela Yi-Ping Hsu understands that, "A good advisor is like a parent. To built mutual trust the advisor should understand and respect the advisee, as well as consider the situation from their perspective. She should be a caring person and a good listener who will use different communication skills to advice and work with the students." Knowing that students in different age groups confront different kinds of problems, she provides assistance individually and is very mindful of the student's current status.

"I am fortunate to have Professor Hsu as my advisor," said Ms. Huang, a postgraduate student of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. Professor Hsu is a serious teacher and treats students as family members. Yu-Shan Grace Fan, a graduate from the MA program pointed out that Prof. Hsu's words of encouragement and support were most reassuring during her greatest time of need.

"Focus on the student, instead of oneself" said Prof. Yuh-Chang Sun. As a child, Prof. Sun was not particularly good at school and was placed in a lower level class. Fortunately he would later meet an encouraging math teacher by the name of Mr. Xue Xin who "never looked down on us no matter how poor our grades were." Prof. Sun recalled that, "It felt good not to be given up on." Such teaching philosophy has had a long and enduring influence on Prof. Sun. He believes that "School is an institution of education, not a career training center. The most important thing for us is to inspire and to cultivate a good value in all of our students."