As invited by Ministry of Education, Pres. Chang Horng-jinh attended a symposium “The First Australian-Taiwan Conference on Higher Education” held in early April at Adelaide College, Australia. Many dignitaries from Taiwan attended the meeting, including Dr. Lee Yuan-tse, Director, Academia Sinica, Dr. Lu Mu-lin, Deputy Minister, MOE, and 16 presidents from Tai Ta, Shih Ta, etc. Pres. Chang delivered a speech on April 8 on a special subject. Under the sub-topic “The Guarantee and Pursuance of Quality Control over College Education and Academic Research”, he chose a subject “The Commercialization Trend in Academic Research Products in Taiwan”. His speech had aroused a spontaneous response from the conferees.
The gist of Pres. Chang’s speech is: that there are many research institutes in Taiwan whose research products have led them to acquire patent status and, after being manufactured by enterprising industries, have promoted not just the concerned institute’s prestige, but also enriched many human lives and upgraded national welfare.
Pres. Chang’s views were reinforced by Dr. Wu Mau-kuen, Director, Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, also a TKU alumnus. Because he had once served as Deputy Director of NSC, he cited many figures from past experience and answered many questions put to Dr. Chang, the latter’s argument gained more momentum and his views became all the more valid and convincing.
On the other hand, as a result of Dr. Flora C.I. Chang, VP for Administrative Affairs, TKU, who had visited last May two sister schools in Australia, The University of New South Wales and Curtin University of Technology, a possible exchange program is in the offing. This is, of course, due to the renewed effort made by Pres. Chang and Dr. Lily Hwei-mei Chen, Director, Office of International Exchanges & International Education when they visited Australia this time. To be exact, when they met with Dr. John Nilang, President of the UNSW and Ms. Jeanette Hacket, Director, International Affairs, CUOT, they talked about the potential of sending over exchange students to both sides to take degree-oriented study programs.
The TKU delegation has also reaped some random harvests. For instance, Pres. Chang Horng-jinh met a Sinologist from Oxford and had secured his instant consent to visit TKU sometime in the future. Dr. Lily Hwei-mei Chen made acquaintance with a Miss Peta Arbuckle, who has promised Lily to see her again in June, because she will soon be here as Chief of the Australian Trade Mission to Taiwan.
