Vanung University was founded by Professor Hsin-Chai Chuang on March 27, 1972. It was named in the beginning as Van Nung School of Industrial Skills, providing two-year programs in Textile Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, and Civil Engineering, with senior high school graduates admitted.
In 1973, it was renamed as Van Nung Institute of Industry, and the Department of Industrial Management came into existence, recruiting vocational high school graduates.
In 1982, the night school was set up. In 1990, it was renamed again as Van Nung Institute of Industry and Commerce with business/management-related departments being set up.
In 1999, it was upgraded as Van Nung Institute of Technology. The night school was renamed as School of Continuing Education ; meanwhile, the College of Continuing Education with offiliated weekend classes was set up.There are thirteen departments consisting of four studying categories, recruiting high school and vocational high school graduates in classes of the four-year technological college system and the two-year junior college system, and junior college graduates in classes of the two-year technological college system respectively.
In 2002, the Graduate School of Business and Management was established. On Feb.1, 2004 VIT was renamed as Vanung University. Four academic groups were upgraded to four colleges.
In February 2006, the Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Thomas Chuang, was inaugurated as the President of the University, starting his career to lead the University toward a first-class technological university.
Now in 2023, there are three colleges on our campus: College of Aviation and Engineering, College of Tourism, Hospitality and Management, and College of Design, including five graduate schools, sixteen professional departments. The six graduate schools are: Graduate Institute of Interior Design and Civil Engineering, Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Graduate School of Business and Management, Graduate School of Information Management, Graduate School of Cosmetic Science, and Graduate Institute of Industrial Engineering. The seventeen professional departments consist of Department of Interior Design and Civil Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Department of Aeronautical and Opto-Mechatronic Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Department of Vehicle Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Tourism and Leisure Management, Department of Food and Beverage Management, Department of Hotel Management, Department of Airline and Transport Service Management, Department of Business Administration, Department of Marketing and Logistics, Department of Information Management, Department of Cosmetic Science, Department of Commercial Design, Department of Fashion Styling and Design. There are currently about 8,000 students and about 400 faculty members in the University.
Dr. Thomas Chuang is the 11th President of Vanung University and the Professor of Computer Science and Information Technology in the Electronics and Information College.
As the President of Vanung University, Dr. Chuang has reshaped the University to improve the quality of research and education to meet stringent international standards. One of the top honor is for Vanung to receive the “Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award” granted by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan since Year 2006. The quality management system of Vanung has confirmed with the ISO standard since July, 2000. In Year 2010, the education quality system was successfully upgraded in conformity with ISO 9001:2008. The academic and research quality has also met the International IEET Washing Accord standard. Vanung is also an active member of AACSB moving forward to meet the conformity. Dr. Chuang has also expanded financial aid to improve access to Vanung Student Fund for students of all economic backgrounds and advocated for increased Government funding for quality education and scientific research. He has broadened the University’s international reach, raised the profile of the science and technology on campus, embraced sustainability, and promoted collaboration across academic disciplines and administrative units as he guided the University through a period of significant paradigm shift and advancement activities.
Dr. Chuang has received Doctorate degree in Engineering from UCLA in the USA. He has had extensive industrial and business experiences working with international well-known corporations like Eastman Kodak, Du Pont Corp and Raytheon Corp serving in the areas of engineering research, information technology and business management. Subsequently, he received an MBA degree from University of Delaware. With his academic achievement and extensive working experience in the fields of engineering, computer science and business management, he is fully capable of contributing higher education to help industrious students for academic accomplishment and career advancement with diversified disciplines. He is guiding the transformation of Vanung University from a university of technology and science into a wide-ranging institution for scholarly and creative enterprise, distinctive for its multidisciplinary focus and the exploration of new knowledge at the crossroads of traditional fields.
With his multicultural, bilingual and interdisciplinary backgrounds, Dr. Chuang is passionate to lead Vanung University to become an international well-known University. He is leading a team constantly searching for strategic partnerships worldwide and creating synergies in the world to integrate learning and life at a teaching and research university. He believes that broadening global view and extend international horizon for the students is pivotal to modern higher education. Students must also develop an appreciation for the benefits of living in a world where international as well as intercultural relations are commonplace. This will materially enhance the competitive advantages for elite students to pursue competitive career opportunities in the global market.
He also believes that ideal and breadth of college education should nurture not only professional skills but also liberal education that embraces the humanities and arts as well as the social and natural sciences. Dr. Chuang is also a violinist who actively participates student activities; he believes getting closer to students and understands their minds and needs is the best way to have them motivated and incentivized; and only then the learning process can become more effective and efficient.
Dr. Chuang has executed many research projects and published numerous papers is the fields of Natural Language Processing, Pattern recognition, Image Processing, Neuronetwork , Superfluidity, Superconductivity, and nanotechnology .