The Corporate Synergy Development Center (CSDC), an organization supervised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, notified TKU last month that the university had passed the first stage of the evaluation for qualifying to win the 18th National Quality Award (NQA). The second stage of the assessment, which involves on-site inspection, will take place at the Chueh Sheng International Conference Hall later this month (October 29 and 30). In response to this inspection, the university held a preparatory committee meeting on October 4 to discuss issues such as the contents of a self-assessment manual, a schedule for the preparation, and the program for the inspectors. The NQA demands organizations under scrutiny to fulfill several vital criteria that fall mainly under three big categories: Philosophy and vision of the organization, Execution of the vision, and Outcome.

In parallel to this preparation, the university is also working on its second Tamkang Quality Award (TQA) which was set up to maintain a high standard of management for all university affairs. The procedure is similar to that of the NQA, that is, the university units intend to be considered for this award must submit basic relevant dossiers for application. Once the application is approved, more elaborate documents must be presented to a special committee for the first stage of assessment. After having passed this stage, on-site inspection will be arranged.

According to some members on the preparatory committee that the quality of documentation is crucial in this kind of assessment, be it for TQA or the NQA. The documentation needs to be concise and clear. Quantify data when necessary as it will help inspectors surmise results easily. Dr. Hsu Ting-chi, the Secretary General, who is also the chair of the preparatory committee, couldn’t agree more. He points out that a clear presentation of documents comes from thorough preparation, which can leave a good impression on the inspectors. To him, good preparation means good quality. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )