NCTU: A New Branch from an Old Trunk
Chiao Tung University was founded in 1896 (the 22nd year of the Kuanghsu Era of the Ching Dynasty). The school’s original name was Nanyang College. In 1912, it was renamed the Shanghai Vocational College of Higher Education. In 1921, it was renamed again Chiao Tung University. And in 1937, it was renamed once more National Chiao Tung University (NCTU).
In 1958, the university began anew in Hsinchu with the establishment of NCTU Institute of Electronics. In 1967, the Institute of Electronics was reorganized to be the College of Engineering, and in 1979, the school’s present name was restored.
In retrospect of the development of NCTU, we can see that the current accomplishments actually come from the contributions of our forerunners. Considering the Chiao Tung Universities in mainland China as a strong old tree trunk, we may regard NCTU in Hsinchu as a flourishing new branch. The ordering and dissemination of the school’s glorious history is undoubtedly an extremely significant event as we recall its past and spur ourselves on toward the future. The University History Area of this museum was constructed on the basis of this idea. The contents include: some NCTU’s firsts, a brief NCTU’s chronicle, an illustration of the development of the NCTU System, the university seal, flag, motto, and school song, and some episodes from NCTU’s history. These contents as a whole are expected to provide a visitor to this museum a full view of NCTU’s development in the past.