National Chung Cheng University (CCU) successfully held its "Freshman Fresh Start Fair" from September 1st to 2nd to welcome its incoming class for the 114th academic year. The event, centered around the theme "At a university, get to know new knowledge and yourself," saw the participation of approximately 1,800 faculty, staff, and students. To accommodate the needs of international students, the university conducted English language training for administrative staff during the summer to provide them with the best administrative support. This initiative culminated in the university's first-ever bilingual exhibition, ensuring that both domestic and international freshmen could explore new knowledge without any language barriers.In addition to faculty explaining the general education curriculum requirements, the fair featured diverse exhibition areas and hands-on activities focusing on aesthetics, self-learning, and artificial intelligence. This provided new students with a preliminary understanding of the general education program, helped them explore learning resources, and began to foster a sense of belonging to CCU.

Dean Lee Ya-Hui of the Center for General Education stated that in addition to offering about 230 general education courses each academic year, the center serves as a platform for interdisciplinary integration, combining academic resources from across the university. In line with Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG 17), the center actively builds diverse partnerships, fosters local connections, and promotes collaboration among industry, government, and academia. For this event, the center partnered with the National Palace Museum and its Southern Branch, inviting researchers and campus ambassadors to share the outcomes of their course collaborations and host a mini-exhibition. This showcased how artifacts can be used as educational tools.

The event also brought together various collaborative partners, including the Language Center, the College of Engineering, the Yun-Jia Youth Volunteer Center, the Chiayi Branch of the Forestry Bureau, and the Liwen Cultural Group. The fair also featured the "GEN-Z’s AI & I" exhibition, a culmination of 'The XPlorer Project,' which underscored CCU’s commitment to providing diverse, interdisciplinary educational opportunities.

Vice President Chan Sheng-Ju noted that the event not only helped freshmen quickly familiarize themselves with the general education curriculum and campus resources but also guided them in self-exploration and career planning through hands-on activities. He emphasized that the fair highlighted the tangible results of both the "Higher Education Sprout Project" and "The XPlorer Project," while also highlighting CCU's efforts in promoting a friendly campus environment and internationalization. He expressed hope that the collective effort of the entire CCU community would inspire freshmen to fall in love with and identify with the university, confidently embarking on their own CCU journey.