【GCIT News】

The Master’s Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology (GCIT) at National Chengchi University held its leadership handover ceremony on April 29, with Distinguished Professor Trisha Lin, GCIT’s second director, officially passing the role to Distinguished Professor Tammy Lin. The transition marks a new chapter for the program as it builds on a strong foundation in internationalization and industry innovation.

GCIT was first initiated in fall 2021 by Distinguished Professor Mei-Ling Hsu, who later became the program’s founding director in February 2022. Under her leadership, GCIT established the institutional framework and academic foundation for Taiwan’s first English-taught master’s program in global communication.

In February 2024, Distinguished Professor Trisha Lin assumed the directorship and continued to advance the program’s development. Over the past two years, she has strengthened GCIT’s international exchanges, curriculum development, and industry partnerships in international journalism, digital content innovation, and marketing technology.

Drawing on her roles as President of the International Chinese Communication Association and Vice Chair of the Taiwan Communication Association, Trisha Lin worked to enhance GCIT’s academic profile and visibility both in Taiwan and abroad. During her tenure, she led visits to six universities in Australia, four universities in Singapore, as well as Stanford University and the University of Washington in the United States. GCIT also hosted more than ten renowned scholars from the United States, Australia, Singapore, and other regions.

Under Trisha Lin’s leadership, GCIT signed a course collaboration Memorandum of Understanding with the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University and completed a dual-degree partnership with the College of Information and Communications at the University of South Carolina. The program also successfully launched international summer courses and immersive overseas learning programs.

Through Trisha Lin’s efforts to expand international exchange and industry-academia collaboration, optimize institutional systems, and strengthen administrative integration, GCIT has further reinforced its position in global communication and digital innovation. These achievements have continued to earn recognition and support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and National Chengchi University’s Higher Education Sprout Project.

“I am deeply grateful for the interdisciplinary support from NCCU’s five colleges, as well as the support of our industry-academia partners in Taiwan and abroad,” Trisha Lin said. “Their support has enabled this young program to rapidly build achievements in internationalization, interdisciplinary integration, and industry engagement, while establishing a distinctive brand identity.”

Trisha Lin added that she is confident GCIT will continue to develop steadily and open up new possibilities under the leadership of incoming Director Tammy Lin.

Incoming Director Tammy Lin is a Distinguished Professor at the College of Communication, National Chengchi University. She holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, with research expertise spanning media psychology, AI glasses, virtual reality, digital games, social media, and emerging technology applications.

She currently serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, a leading SSCI-indexed journal in communication. She is also President of the Taiwan Information Society Research Association, Convener of the Institutional Review Board at National Chengchi University, and Adjunct Professor at the College of Medicine, National Taiwan University. Tammy Lin was also named among the world’s top 2% scientists in both 2024 and 2025, reflecting her strong academic foundation and broad international influence.

“Taking on the role of GCIT Director is a great responsibility,” Tammy Lin said. “Building on the rich foundation established by Founding Director Mei-Ling Hsu and former Director Trisha Lin, I look forward to working closely with GCIT faculty and the administrative team. By integrating Taiwan’s strengths in technology with media storytelling, and through extensive international connections and globally innovative teaching models, we will continue to cultivate interdisciplinary talent with global perspectives and digital capabilities.”

Looking ahead, GCIT will continue to deepen the integration of communication and technology under Tammy Lin’s leadership, while strengthening international collaboration and industry partnerships. The program aims to cultivate a new generation of communication professionals with global vision and steadily expand its overall impact.

[全球傳播與創新科技碩士學位學程獲文化部與教育部高等教育深耕計畫補助。]