Many countries are facing various challenges in their development as a result of globalization. In Taiwan, both businesses and the government have pushed for measures to boost competitiveness and find a way out of the difficult situation they are facing. FJCU has conducted a SWOT analysis on itself to identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in its current state of operations (see Diagram 17-1), so that it would have an important point of reference with regard to its development and global partnerships. Under the leadership of the FJCU president, all administrative and academic departments contribute towards the schools development through the planning and policies of each department head as well as through cooperation and division of labor, united by a common goal. In addition, in the process of planning for events and projects, we seek to utilize the concept of the UNs Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, while also adopting the PDCA cycle management method and merging top-down supervision with bottom-up self-assessment. Cooperation between the academic and the administrative departments allows for constant reviewing and adjusting whenever necessary throughout the implementation process, setting in place a cyclical push that is conducive to shaping policies and action plans for sustainable development. FJCU has established deep collaborative relationships with multiple government agencies to improve the economic, health, educational, environmental, and societal benefits of the country. In accordance with educational and long-term care government policies for indigenous people, FJCU integrated school resources to establish the Indigenous People’s Resource Center in 2000, which was renamed as the Indigenous Student Resource Center (ISRC) in 2001 and officially included in FJCU’s organisational regulations. The establishment of the ISRC marked the first of its kind among the 164 Taiwan universities. The ISRC of FJCU served as the regional indigenous resource centre for 64 higher education institutions in Northern Taiwan, and it is responsible for providing counselling, assisting, supporting, and supervisory services relating to the administration and application of the indigenous resources of each university. Furthermore, FJCU served as the Indigenous Culture and Health Management Center for Northern Taiwan, and it is tasked with supervising 71 cultural and health centres. Because the service scopes of the two centres largely overlap, FJCU integrated relevant resources to achieve the optimal implementation outcomes.

Converting extensive practical teaching experience into optimal implementation experience

After providing numerous years of counselling for indigenous students, FJCU discovered that cultivating indigenous talents to vitalise indigenous industries and create working opportunities is ineffective in assisting indigenous people; the most effective method for supporting indigenous people is through consistent support. FJCU planned and implemented the Indigenous Heart Ark: Indigenous Student Accompanying Program, which involves accompanying students, fulfilling curriculum demands, and implementing elite talent training programs. In addition, FJCU actively undertook various projects of the Ministry of Education, including the Higher Education Institutions Indigenous Students Career Cultivation Partner Alliance Program for Institutions in Northern Taiwan and the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP); prospective infrastructure projects between 2018 and 2019 for establishing indigenous tribe buildings, health, and cultural centres in cities and townships; indigenous student scholarship review and allocation operations for higher education institutions; projects for establishing indigenous placemaking promotion centres in 2020; and the 2020 Taiwan Training of Cultivation Program of Young Talent for International Affairs for achieving FJCU’s purpose and goals. To fulfil social responsibilities, FJCU established programs for indigenous students to participate in tribal activities; these programs provide students with academic credits and help them to gain a better understanding of indigenous tribe. The ISRC provides a platform for indigenous students with indigenous tribes, simultaneously guiding indigenous students in forming communities and supporting indigenous tribes in placemaking. By connecting human and material resources from the industry and academia, the ISRC cultivates full-time and residential talents for indigenous tribes to effectively develop local characteristics and take advantage of novel and sustainable commercial opportunities for indigenous tribes.