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\r\n“If someone graduates without a narrow professional focus, people may think the university failed to train them,” he said. “But comprehensive universities are not vocational schools. Our mission is to cultivate well-rounded students with strong soft power. If you truly want to become a specialist, you can pursue a master’s or doctoral degree.”
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\r\nChen also encourages students to live on campus—or at least near it—because learning outside the classroom can be just as important as formal coursework.
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\r\nAfter accounting for classes, meals, and sleep, students still have roughly
60 hours of free time each week, he said.
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\r\n“How students use that time matters,” Chen said. “Strength is built through time and diverse participation.”
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\r\nUniversities, therefore, have a responsibility to create environments and opportunities that help students develop soft power.
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\r\nChen traces the origins of liberal education to Britain, where universities such as Oxford and Cambridge combine academic departments with residential colleges. While departments oversee disciplinary training, colleges bring together students from diverse fields and provide living spaces, mentorship, and community activities.
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\r\nDuring his tenure as president of Tunghai University from 2004 to 2012, Chen established a residential liberal arts college. Later, as vice rector of the University of Macau, he expanded the system with institutional support, placing more than 6,000 students into ten residential colleges as part of a campus-wide liberal education model.
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Soft Power as a GPS for Life\r\n
\r\nToday’s younger generation often pursues speed and efficiency, and media consumption habits have become increasingly fast-paced. Some observers question whether liberal education—which requires long-term cultivation—can still appeal to students.
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\r\nChen believes the answer lies in embracing technology rather than resisting it.
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\r\nArtificial intelligence, he said, can serve as a powerful learning tool, enabling students to explore knowledge more quickly and broadly.
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\r\nFor example, many online platforms now offer virtual tools to help students practice speaking and communication skills.
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\r\nChen also encourages students to use generative AI for writing and research—but with an important condition: they must actively engage with the process.
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\r\nStarting with an initial prompt, students should repeatedly refine their instructions, add their own ideas, and engage in deeper dialogue with the system. Only through this iterative process can the final work truly reflect the creator’s own thinking.
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\r\nNew technologies, Chen emphasized, are like double-edged swords.
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\r\n“Information can be obtained quickly,” he said. “But information is not the same as knowledge.”
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\r\nKnowledge requires verification, the pursuit of truth, and the willingness to put belief into action.
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\r\nRather than rushing to provide answers for students facing an uncertain future, Chen hopes to equip them with the tools to chart their own paths.
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\r\nSoft power, he said, can serve as a kind of GPS for life, guiding students through an unknown world shaped by artificial intelligence.
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\r\nPlease refer to the
original text (Mandarin) for details.
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![\"NYCU](\"/userfiles/nycuen/images/20260312122336994.png\")
NYCU Chief Strategy Officer Haydn Chen speaks in an interview about the importance of cultivating soft power in the AI era.(Photo credit: Central News Agency)![\"At](\"/userfiles/nycuen/images/20260312121341677.png\")