In response to growing attention to campus mental health issues, National Formosa University received more than NT$3 million in funding from the Ministry of Education's "Learning Beauty, Cultivating the Heart — College and University Counseling Space Renovation Project" to upgrade its Student Counseling Center. On 4/11 (Friday), Hsu Chia-Chien, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Education's Department of Student Affairs and Special Education, led a team of experts in psychology, education, architecture, and design to NFU for an on-site unveiling, personally experiencing the transformation of the counseling space.
The Ministry of Education's "Learning Beauty, Cultivating the Heart Project" launched in 2024, providing NFU with NT$3 million to renovate its Student Counseling Center, which is expected to open by the end of April this year. The renovated space reorganizes counseling and administrative office areas, optimizing traffic flow and enhancing the overall counseling atmosphere, while ensuring the independence of each space to guide clients smoothly through the counseling process.
Hsu Chia-Chien, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Education's Department of Student Affairs and Special Education, stated that in response to increasingly complex mental health issues among college and university students, the Ministry of Education has completed amendments to the Student Guidance and Counseling Act, strengthening the role of student counseling centers. This includes adjusting the ratio of professional counseling staff to students from 1:1,200 to 1:900, aiming to better meet each school's counseling staffing needs, while also promoting counseling space renovation projects to create more comfortable environments for students.
As awareness of campus mental health continues to grow, the university's original counseling space had become insufficient to meet the diverse needs of faculty and students. Since 2023, NFU has invested NT$4 million to expand the Student Counseling Center's space, establishing a dedicated office and independent study area for Indigenous students, adding two individual counseling rooms, and comprehensively optimizing the layout of spaces such as the records room and group counseling room.
Lin Yi-Chuan, NFU's Dean of Student Affairs, stated that the Student Counseling Center's funding from the Ministry of Education this year has helped further improve the overall counseling environment. In addition to upgrading the physical space, he noted that, on the staffing side, once the space opens, the university will also bring counseling staff directly into departments, with counselors adopting specific academic departments and scheduling regular time on-site each week to assess faculty and student needs firsthand, referring cases to the Student Counseling Center as needed.
The Ministry of Education's "Learning Beauty, Cultivating the Heart Project" was implemented by the Taiwan Design Research Institute, with the design team Ten工作室 (Ten Design Studio) leading the renovation design for NFU. The most notable highlight of this renovation is the student counseling space, which is adjacent to a semi-open garden at the Student Counseling Center, using window views to bring in natural light and greenery, paired with neutral tones and a curved ceiling to create a warm, gentle, non-oppressive atmosphere, while also enhancing privacy to improve psychological comfort and a sense of security.
Chang Chi-Yi, President of the Taiwan Design Research Institute, stated that this marks Taiwan's first cross-disciplinary collaboration to introduce design into a counseling center. He noted that NFU's renovation demonstrates several key characteristics: first, the use of zoned adjustments to optimize the space; second, a design philosophy grounded in "human-centered design," emphasizing user experience; and most importantly, this project can serve as a future model for academia. "We believe that when the space changes, how people use it and their behavior in various ways will also change accordingly."
Article provided by: Office of Student Affairs / Student Counseling Center
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NFU's Student Counseling Center space renovation, with Ministry of Education Deputy Director-General Hsu Chia-Chien (8th from left, back row) leading a team for an on-site unveiling. |
Dean of Student Affairs Lin Yi-Chuan explains that, in addition to the space renovation, the university will also bring counseling staff directly into departments, further providing a support system for the entire campus. |
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| The student counseling space brings in natural light and greenery, providing a friendly and comfortable environment. |
The design team applied zoned adjustments to NFU's Student Counseling Center administrative and
counseling areas, optimizing the environment's flow. |