Dr. Hong Ho-cheng, president of National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), led a group of senior representatives to New Haven, Connecticut. The reason for their trip to the other side of the world was to honor Dr. Peter Salovey by conferring upon him NTHU’s highest honor: an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. This is in recognition of a lifetime of academic contributions and his respected leadership

Dr. Peter Salovey is known for his pioneering research in “emotional intelligence” and major contributions to the field of health psychology. Dr. Salovey has led Yale University since 2013 as its 23rd president.

The conferral ceremony took place on Monday, August 11, 2014, with many on hand to witness this occasion. Among them were the famed forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee; Dr. Ping-Tsai Chung, chairman of the Chair Chinese-American Academic & Professional Society; Alex Fan, Deputy Director-General at TECO-NY; and Charlin Chang the Education Director there also made the trip to offer their congratulations.

NTHU initially specialized in nuclear science, but over the past fifty-seven years it has transformed into a comprehensive research university. It now comprises eight different colleges, and consistently ranks among Asia’s best universities. By celebrating Dr. Salovey’s contributions and leadership, NTHU is embracing its core values and showing the world its global vision.

Dr. Hong explained that NTHU honors those who have global impact and prominence with such an honorary degree. This was the time a trip has been taken overseas for an honorary degree conferral ceremony. A second will take place on August 18 in California, when Qualcomm co-founder Dr. Irwin Jacobs will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree.