On the 24th of December, 2010, Tamkang University held its 117th administrative conference. The conference ushered in a series of reforms to the current method of distributing teacher subsidies, and established a new, integrated administrative department responsible for assuring the quality of service and education at Tamkang University. Also during the conference, the President of TKU, Dr. Flora Chia-I Chang, emphasized the importance of TKU’s recently implemented Community Learning program. She said that Community Learning is the future trend in learning, and voiced her hope that in 2011 at least 3 departments from every TKU college will offer Community Learning courses.
The main item on the conference agenda, however, was TKU teacher subsidies. Each year, Tamkang University allocates subsidies to TKU teachers whose research articles have been published in renowned scholarly journals (the Full-time Teacher Research Grant) or who have displayed diligence or creativity in teaching (Encouragement for Excellent Teachers Grant). In the past, recipients would receive a lump sum stipend, which would help cover the costs of their research-based pursuits. At the meeting, this system of subsidy payment was amended. In future, recipients will receive monthly stipends instead. Moreover, a new category was added to the Encouragement for Excellent Teachers Grant: the Exceptional Teacher Award, which offers to provide diligent faculty members with NT $8,000 per month.
During the conference, a new administrative body was established that will in future oversee the swift implementation of TKU policies. The new body was set up by amalgamating resources from TKU’s Center for Learning and Teaching and its Educational Evaluation Section. Also, the TKU Office of Research and Development announced that it will soon establish a centre for Japanese Research, the first such center to be set up by a private university in Taiwan.
Several administrative reforms were approved during the conference. Among them were the implementation of a mid to long-term development plan drafted by the TKU Office of Student Affairs; the establishment of a TKU Complaints and Arbitration Committee, to safeguard the rights of TKU employees; and the institution of a new system for rotating employee posts at the Lanyang Campus, which will allow faculty and administrative staff at the Office of the Director of Lanyang Campus to switch posts independently of the TKU Tamsui Campus.
