Brief History
- I-Shou University was originally founded as Kaohsiung Polytechnic Institute, with an initial focus on science and engineering disciplines complemented by management studies. The University was established with the mission of cultivating young engineering and management professionals in southern Taiwan. In the fall of 1997, it was officially renamed “I-Shou University” with approval from the Ministry of Education. With continuous institutional development, the University has expanded to include the College of Intelligent Science and Technology, College of Engineering, College of Management, College of Communication and Design, College of International Studies, College of Tourism and Hospitality, College of Medicine, and College of Medical Science and Technology.
- The College of Engineering comprises four departments: Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering. It also offers doctoral and master’s programs in both Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering. In addition, the College administers the Graduate Program for Engineering Technology, which is further divided into the Intelligent Mechanical Engineering Division and the Civil Engineering Division.
- Dr. Sheng-Li Fu, President of the University, served concurrently as the founding dean of the College of Engineering. In the fall of 1998, Dr. Han-Ching Lai, Professor of Applied Mathematics, was appointed as the second dean. Following Dr. Lai’s retirement, Dr. Hao Ku, a specialist in biotechnology, assumed the deanship in the 2001 academic year and initiated the development of biotechnology-related disciplines. In the 2002 academic year, due to Dr. Ku’s involvement in establishing the College of Medicine, Dr. Yuan-Chuan Lee, an expert in engineering management and practice, was appointed as the fourth dean.
- In alignment with the University’s founding mission, the College has progressively expanded into new fields of infrastructure technology and applied sciences. In the second semester of the 2003 academic year, Dr. Hao Ku was reappointed as dean to continue advancing the College’s teaching, research, and service missions. In the 2007 academic year, Professor Chao-Yen Wu of the Department of Chemical Engineering was appointed as dean. Due to Professor Wu’s secondment to Shu-Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management, Professor Yu-Wen Wu, also from Chemical Engineering, was appointed as the seventh dean in the 2008 academic year and continued to serve as the eighth dean in the 2011 academic year. In the 2014 academic year, Professor Ji-Sheng Ku of the Department of Civil Engineering was appointed as the ninth dean and continued as the tenth dean in the 2017 academic year. In the 2020 academic year, Professor Kuo-Liang Lin of the Department of Civil Engineering was appointed as the eleventh dean and continued to serve as the twelfth dean in the 2023 academic year.