The opening ceremony for freshmen of the 2025 academic year was held in grand fashion on September 4. President Shaw-Jenq Tsai, accompanied by the university’s senior administrators and faculty representatives from each college, attended the event. Utilizing the latest AI technology, the ceremony was first hosted by an AI President, who delivered the opening remarks and welcomed around 3,000 new students to National Chung Cheng University, officially making them members of the Chung Cheng family.

In his address, President Tsai compared university life to a ‘large open-world RPG,’ vividly illustrating: “University is like an adventure game—with vast maps, countless hidden gems, occasional challenges, but far more sunshine and surprises.” He gifted the freshmen three verbs as their “starter gear” for this new journey: Explore Bravely, Connect Proactively, and Contribute Boldly—encouraging students to cultivate creativity, execution, and leadership throughout the next four years and live out the best versions of themselves.

Regarding exploration, President Tsai urged freshmen to embrace diverse experiences such as joining student clubs, pursuing internships, enrolling in cross-disciplinary courses, and participating in overseas exchange programs to broaden their horizons. “There’s never just one path to clear the map of university—continuous exploration is the very way to build creativity,” he remarked.

Regarding connection, he reminded students to actively seek guidance and support from seniors, faculty, administrative staff, and campus resources, emphasizing: “At Chung Cheng, it’s never about facing things alone, but always about finding solutions together.” Building networks, he said, will help ideas materialize more quickly and strengthen students’ ability to execute.

Regarding contribution, President Tsai highlighted that true leadership stems from service and influence. He encouraged freshmen to begin with small acts of sharing and helping, and then move on to volunteer work and University Social Responsibility (USR) projects, applying their expertise to the community. “When you’re willing to take responsibility and lead the way, you’ll discover that you, too, are leveling up,” he said.

President Tsai concluded by wishing all freshmen a meaningful, enriching, and inspiring journey at National Chung Cheng University. He concluded with a message: “Explore bravely to unleash creativity, connect proactively to sharpen execution, and contribute boldly to shape leadership.” He encouraged students to keep challenging themselves, reflecting often like “saving progress,” and continuously upgrading into the very best versions of who they aspire to be.