The promoter of holistic education: Professor Zhang Guangzheng

Interview/Zhao Shiliang

Professor Zhang Guangzheng, who has served as president of three universities in Taiwan: Chung Yuan University, Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology, and Shi Jian University.

Have the courage to act as an “opinion leader”,He spares no effort in promoting holistic education and receives far more praise and affirmation than criticism and judgment.

He thanked God from the bottom of his heart for leading him to engage in the century-old work of cultivating people in higher education.

Q: Please briefly describe the concept and experience of "holistic education".

"Whole-person education" is the balanced development of the whole person and the harmony of "heaven, people, things, and myself". Heaven refers to God, who is our God; people refer to healthy interpersonal relationships; things refer to the material environment, reputation and money; I am myself, neither humble nor arrogant. "Whole-person education" attaches great importance to professional and general education, and the balanced development of the individual's "body, mind and spirit".

In Taiwan and Mainland China, Chung Yuan University has become a leading institution for "holistic education"; promoting "holistic education" requires the courage to choose the good and be stubborn, not to give up easily on "right" and "good" ideas, and to persuade non-Christians. It encourages students and academics to think about the issues of "Heaven" and "Faith". If the students we train only have good knowledge but no good personality, and have not been transformed by "heaven, people, things, and self" and only become bookworms, this type of higher education cannot be considered a success.

After leaving Chung Yuan University, he continued to work at Mingxin, and later at Shijian University to promote the concept of "holistic education". Thanks to God’s grace, we have seen many results and recognition from all walks of life. At present, graduates of Chung Yuan University are the first choice of various enterprises in Taiwan, which is not unrelated to the teachings of the concept of "holistic education".

Q: What is the most important function of a university president?

The first priority of a university president is leadership. There is a distinction between a manager and a leader: a leader must have the management capabilities of a manager and also perform the function of leadership and control.

Thanks to God’s guidance, through the experience of three universities of different natures, I have learned to make different adjustments in different situations. I have also become more mature in character, effectiveness, experience and depth. I am able to prescribe the right medicine and solve problems. I have improved my judgment, discernment and The execution shows the demeanor of managers and leaders, as well as the perfect combination of science and art.

The values of university presidents are particularly important. They must "do something and not do something" and have the courage to act as an "opinion leader." The "holistic education" promoted by Chung Yuan University is exactly the choice of values. Today, many university presidents are unwilling to take a stand on this, over-emphasis on "academic neutrality" and remain silent on the truth and what is right.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you have encountered in your experience as president of three universities?

The biggest challenge is how to deal with the school's financial problems. Since the three universities are all private universities, they cannot be compared with public universities in terms of funding and rankings. Fund-raising is difficult to implement in Taiwan. With limited funds, every penny must be spent wisely and personnel should be streamlined to maximize its effectiveness.

From these tests, I deeply understand that when faced with challenges, we cannot say, "O God! Whether we succeed or not is up to you," and then give up. Instead, we must go all out and rely on the Lord to do our best. During my tenure, I was able to stand out from many inter-school competitions with limited funds and manpower. I can only thank God.

Q: How has faith helped you in your professional career? How do you resolve situations that conflict with reality? What are you most grateful to God for?

A leader often faces choices. Sometimes he is at a loss and doesn’t know what to do; sometimes he knows what to do but lacks the courage to do it; sometimes he cannot withstand temptation. The life of Joseph in the Old Testament has inspired me a lot in my management and leadership work. Joseph was originally a "high-level foreign worker" who went to Egypt to become the prime minister. He was not only a shrewd manager, but also a highly respected leader. Joseph brought his leadership and management functions to the extreme.

Faith not only changes our thoughts, but also changes our lives; when our lives change, we will naturally do what God wants us to do. People often complicate things, do not act according to the truth, and limit themselves to dilemmas. Therefore, my motto is "choose the right and be stubborn", insist on doing the right thing, and don't care what others think or what the environment is like.

What I am most grateful for is that whenever I grasp God’s principles and act on them, God never fails me or makes mistakes. I always adhere to the principle of "persisting in doing the right thing" when it comes to things that may seem difficult, stressful, or thankless to others. For example, if you know you are not allowed to lie, you don’t need to ask God whether you should lie. The Bible states that speaking the truth in love, even if it may offend others, God will solve the subsequent problems for us.

During my career as president of three universities, thank God, I have received far more praise and recognition than criticism and judgment. God will not mistreat the righteous, but He blesses those who respect Him. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for giving me the job of cultivating people in higher education. When others praise or praise me, I give glory to our God and say, “If it weren’t for God’s blessing and help, I wouldn’t be able to do such a good job!”

Q: How do you preach the gospel from your professional position? Is there any “unreached land”?

Whenever I have the opportunity, I will show others that I am a Christian as quickly as possible and testify to how biblical principles and the gospel have given me special personal and professional help that no ordinary religion or philosophy can satisfy.

Although it is inconvenient to directly preach the gospel in formal public places in schools, in the holistic education of "Heaven, people, things, and me", the heaven part will talk about the importance of faith to us. My principle is: do not let Christianity be constrained or hindered by school administrative decisions; try not to use gray areas as "talismans", but make them black and white, let alone create gray areas.

Having been engaged in higher education in Taiwan for many years, I feel that on the surface the quality and quantity of Taiwan's higher education are increasing, but the situation among people's hearts and society is becoming increasingly chaotic. Education cannot solve social unrest and the decline of values. Higher education is my battlefield. I hope that higher education will not only accept "holistic education" in theory. I hope to influence more higher education institutions to implement it in my lifetime. This is my "unreached territory" and I hope to influence more people.

Q: What advice would you give to those who aspire to become professional executives? How should they prepare themselves?

To become a professional executive, you need to spend time reading, studying, or taking courses to learn how to be a good manager or leader. Management is definitely a profession, and we need to make a clear distinction: On what matters should we do more management? When is it time to lead more? When becoming a manager in engineering or medicine, you must learn professional knowledge in management; while taking courses, learn new knowledge and apply it at the same time; only by actually doing it, honing it, confirming it and experiencing it can you gain something.

Zhang Guangzheng's profile
Graduated from the Department of Meteorology of National Taiwan University, received a PhD from the Department of Atmospheric Physics of the State University of New York, studied for an MBA, and worked in the United States for two years. He has served as president of three universities of different natures, all of which were actively invited by the board of directors. He returned to Taiwan from the United States and served as the dean and president of the Business School of Chung Yuan University for nine years (1991-2000). During the period when Mingxin Institute of Technology was transformed into Mingxin University of Science and Technology, he served as the president for three and a half years (2001.8-2005.1). Later, he served as a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii in the United States, and later served as the president of Shishi University (2005.8-2007.7). Currently, he is a full-time professor in the Department of Business Administration of Chung Yuan University.
The people who have the greatest influence on Professor Zhang are:
1. Parents, they are honest and sincere, consistent with their words and deeds, loving and upright, not perfunctory, not following the crowd, and abide by their duties and principles in dealing with others. They are good examples for Christians.
2. The moral courage of his eldest brother who passed away at an early age had a profound influence on Professor Zhang.
3. Taiwan’s late Air Force hero Chen Huaisheng was a U-2 pilot who flew to Xinjiang on September 9, 1962. He was shot down by a missile force near Nanchang, Jiangxi. Chen Huaisheng was full of love, patriotic, loving people, honest and frank. false. He is Professor Zhang’s role model.

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