National Chiayi University was formed in February 2000 by merging two existing colleges in Chiayi, i.e., the National Chiayi Institute of Technology (NCIT) and National Chiayi Teachers College(NCTC). The University now has six colleges, including seven doctoral programs, 42 full-time master's degree programs, twelve part-time master's degree programs, and 38 undergraduate programs. NCYU is one of the oldest and largest universities in the southern part of Taiwan.
National Chiayi Institute of Technology was first founded in April 1919 as ″Chiayi Agriculture and Forestry Public School″. It was reorganized and named "Taiwan Provincial Chiayi Agri-Vocational School" in November 1945. In March 1965, the School was upgraded and became "Taiwan Provincial Chiayi Junior College of Agriculture." In July 1981, and the College became a national college directly funded by the Ministry of Education. In July 1997, the College was upgraded to a college and became "National Chiayi Institute of Technology." In its 90 year history, the College has trained professionals in different fields.
National Chiayi Teachers College was first founded in 1957 as ″Taiwan Provincial Chiayi Normal School″. The School recruited junior high school graduates and trained them as kindergarten and elementary school teachers. In August 1996, the School was upgraded to a five-year junior college and renamed as ″Taiwan Provincial Chiayi Junior Teachers College." The College was reformed into a four-year college and renamed as ″Taiwan Provincial Chiayi Teachers College″ in July 1987. In July 1991, the College became a national college and was renamed as ″National Chiayi Teachers College.″ Since it was established in 1957, the College has trained thousands of elementary and kindergarten teachers; most of them have taught in schools all over the country or served in education related public sectors.
By merging the two colleges, National Chiayi University is one of the few comprehensive universities in the southwestern part of Taiwan, covering a wide range of domains, including Life Science, Agriculture, Management, Science and Engineering, Humanities and Arts, and Education.
Improve administrative efficiency by upgrading the University's information infrastructure, computerizing administration processes, and providing more in-service training to the staff.
Improve the University's research performance by encouraging research projects and grants and cooperating with other universities in Taiwan or abroad.
Provide in-service training and life-long learning to teachers and professionals in Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan Region to improve their professional skills. Actively promote industry-university cooperation to innovate research and development work.
Promote international exchanges and cooperation by using English as the instructional language in class, recruiting international students and international scholars to give lectures and conduct research at the University, and encouraging the faculty and the students to participate in international contests and conferences.
The inspiration for the design came from the transliteration of Chia-Yi. The acronym of Chia-Yi combined with the mountain Alishan's shape is simplified as spiral circles and triangles. The circles in the middle symbolize the merger of the two universities, while the triangles and the line across the circles resemble the letter Y's shape. The triangles and the spiral circles represent a metaphor of the splendid mountains, rivers, and the earth.
The three triangles symbolize the splendid mountains and rivers and the integration of multiple disciplines of the two universities. The spiral circles symbolize the combination of the two universities. The development and the potential of National Chiayi University have increased dramatically after the two universities' merger. The universities will become a world-famous university in the future.
