Dr. Min Kao awards the inaugural Garmin Chair Professors and Scholars

On November 25, 2024, National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted the “Garmin Chair Professorships and Scholar Fellowships” award ceremony. The event was graced by NTU’s distinguished alumnus and Garmin founder, Dr. Min Kao, who personally presented the awards to this year’s worthy recipients

The recipients of this year’s Garmin Chair Professorships are Prof. Hsin-Hsi Chen of the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering; Prof. Homer H. Chen of the Graduate Institute of Communication Engineering; and Prof. Liang-Chia Chen of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. As for the Garmin Scholar Fellowships, the recipients are Prof. Chung-Tse Michael Wu of the Department of Electrical Engineering; Prof. Chun-Yi Lee of the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering; Prof. Shih-Han Hung of the Department of Electrical Engineering; Prof. Chun-Yu Ke of the Department of Civil Engineering; and Prof. Leigh Aldous of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Each recipient is entitled to a grant of USD 30,000 per year for a term of three years and is eligible for up to one reappointment.

To support NTU in attracting and retaining top talent, Dr. Kao, through the U.S.-based Kao Family Foundation, generously donated USD 20 million to establish the “Garmin Chair Professorship and Scholar Fellowship Fund” and the “Garmin Faculty Dormitory Construction and Maintenance Fund.” These initiatives are aimed at bolstering the recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty within the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and the College of Engineering, enhancing NTU’s global academic reputation. Of the donation, USD 6.25 million has been allocated to the faculty housing fund for construction, renovation, and maintenance. Currently, the housing project is over 60% complete, with an estimated completion in June 2025.

NTU President Wen-Chang Chen revealed that Dr. Kao had offered to help upon learning about the university’s centennial projects. He devised a comprehensive faculty retention program and funded it with an increased donation. The program not only provides competitive stipends but also offers superior housing options to attract domestic and international talent. President Chen expressed his gratitude to Dr. Kao, noting how it has also inspired other alumni to donate and boosted NTU’s fundraising efforts in the United States.

An alumnus of NTU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and co-founder of Garmin Ltd.—a global leader in GPS technology and smart wearables, Dr. Kao expressed his keen and continued interest in NTU’s development, even 50 years after his graduation. He emphasized that exceptional faculty are the core of a competitive university. To strengthen NTU’s international standing, he established both the Chair Professorship and Scholar Fellowship fund and Dormitory fund to create a complete talent recruitment package, offering competitive financial benefits and conveniently located, state-of-the-art dormitories. Dr. Kao extended his congratulations to the awardees and thanked NTU and the selection committee for their dedication and remarkable work. Upon the ceremony’s completion, Dr. Kao and his wife were given a tour of the construction site of the Garmin Faculty Dormitory and the trees planted beside the Drunken Moon Lake in tribute to their contribution.