According to the Office of Academic Affairs, there are 46 graduates with a Ph. D. degree this year. All these graduates attended the graduate ceremony. TKU President Flora C. I. Chang moved the tassels and conferred diploma upon every graduate students to congratulate on their graduation.

The 22 valedictorians were: Wang Jiao-shen (Department of Chemistry), Yang Guon-han (Department of Mathematics), Su Feng-fu, Lin Shi-wei, Wu Shi-ron, Tsai Chi-hsiao, Yang Zhe-yu, and Hui Ling (Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering), Liu Hong-yu, Chen Jia-hong, Chen Wei, Chen Jian-hong, Lin Yu-han ,and Chen Ching-yi (Department of Electrical Engineering), Cheng Wan-hsiu and Lin Wan-yi (Department of Banking and Finance), Huang Tien-chia, Wang Chien-lian, and Chang Li (Graduate Institute of Management Science), and Li Hui-Hsian, Tseng Ming-zhen, and Chou Ming-jie (Department of English).

Comparing with the study in college and Master’s program, it is a long and tough journey to those who just completed their Ph. D. program. Graduate Lin Wan-yi (Department of Banking and Finance) has been studying in TKU for more than ten years since she was a college student. She used to think that she would not be able to graduate, particularly when she felt stuck. Yet, at moments as these, her friends would always rally around her, providing their undivided support. She is forever grateful to that. Lin also said modestly, “If my teachers in the junior and senior high knew that I had just graduated from the Ph. D. program, they would be surprised.” Before she bade her final farewell to Tamkang, Lin left these words for junior students that they should not embark on a Ph.D study hastily, unless they have a clear goal. Now, Lin teaches in TKU and St. John’s University.

Wang Jiao-shen, another Ph. D. graduate from the Department of Chemistry, has studied in TKU for seven years from his Masters degree all the way to the Ph. D. degree. He would like to express his gratitude to Wang Wen-jwu, his advisor, who guided him through this a tough period. Comparing with the Providence University where Wang spent his college time, Wang considers TKU a university with plenty of resources and it provides easy access to a great variety of things, from which he has benefited tremendously. .

Chang Li earned his Masters and Ph. D. degrees in Graduate Institute of Management Science from TKU. In addition to the academic achievement, he also met his wife in TKU and got married during his study here. Chang said, “I would like to thank my advisor Lii Pei-chi with gratitude and Chen Ting-ko (former Dean of the College of Management) who wrote the recommendation letter for me.” Chang is about to teach in the Department of International Business, China Institute of Technology. (~ Ying-hsueh Hu )