News

Chinese Calligraphy Dazzles Japanese Visitors

Alexander Sung’s TKU Concert

The Alexander Sung Harpsichord Concerto Performance, organized jointly by the TKU Carrie Chang Fine Arts Center and the TKU College of Education, was held on the 18th of March after being postponed due to the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The postponement did not cause enthusiasm to wane, and the performance was delivered in front of a capacity crowd.

Third Place in French Student Singing Competition

A number of TKU 2nd year French students recently took part in an international French student singing competition. The students- Lii Pei-qi, Lin Hong-wen, Chai Fang-yu, Shi-qing, You Min-xuan, Wei Mei-qi, Li Min-qian- formed a band and entered the competition together. They performed the fast tempo French song, ‘Je Veux’ (“I want”), and claimed third prize. Their third placing earned them tickets to a Marc Chagall exhibition and a French music CD, as well as a host of other prizes.

Fundraiser Fun at Tamkang

Caption:Music Mania Grips Tamkang

The TKU ‘Blessings for Japan’ Concert

At lunchtime on the 23rd of March, a ‘Blessings for Japan’ Concert was held at the Fu Yuan Garden of TKU’s Tamsui Campus. Students planning to attend were encouraged to wear yellow clothes or bring yellow accessories as a sign of offering blessings to those affected by the recent disasters in Japan (In Chinese culture, yellow symbolizes positive blessings). 50 students from the TKU Department of Information and Library Science bordered the square patch of grass at the immaculately landscaped Fu Yuan Gardens, holding signs that read ‘‘Japan, We Send Our Love’’. In the middle of the grass field sat a student orchestra, with members that held violins, cellos, clarinets. A conductor stood in front of them, waving his hands emphatically, and led them in the performance of Satoshi Yagisawa’s inspirational classic, ‘‘Hymn to the Sun with the Beat of Mother Earth’’. By now, the streets surrounding the Fu Yuan Gardens thronged with students, many of whom stood on their tiptoes to get a better view. The symphony concert was followed by a minute’s silence for those in Japan who had lost loved ones.

Compulsory Club Courses

On March 23, the TKU Extracurricular Activities Section held an open conference to discuss with TKU students and faculty issues related to the soon-to-be-implemented compulsory club and society courses. The new course is designed to help equip students with a broader range of skills that they can later apply in the workforce. The Dean of the TKU Office of Student Affairs, Dr. Ko Chin-en, said that although the course will only account for 1 credit point, it will nonetheless be an essential part of the curriculum that students will have to complete before graduating.

A Visit from the University of Electro-Communications

From March 19-22, a delegation from Japan’s University of Electro-Communications (UEC) – one of Tamkang University’s partner universities – visited TKU’s Tamsui Campus. Through their visit, they hoped to strengthen the already close relationship enjoyed by the two universities, and to drop in on the handful of UEC exchange students currently studying at Tamkang.

Demystifying the Teacher Evaluation Process

On the 30th of March, the Office of Academic Affairs will hold a symposium that will explore “how to better design courses and improve the quality of instruction based on student feedback”. As part of the symposium, TKU has especially invited an expert in the design of university curriculum, the Director of the center for General Education at Southern Taiwan University. The purpose of the conference is to enable TKU teachers to more easily understand the feedback provided in the teacher evaluation surveys completed by TKU students.

The 2011 Institutional Evaluation

Every five years, the Ministry of Education undertakes a comprehensive evaluation of universities around Taiwan. During the evaluation, assessment officers known as “commissioners” visit the school and appraise all aspects of school performance and operation. These include the quality of instruction, the administrative structures and quality assurance mechanisms in place, the school's position in the marketplace, the educational resources it offers, and the systems of governance and management it possesses.

TKU Voted No.1 by Business for 14 Successive Years

Cheers Magazine recently announced the results of its annual “1000 Enterprises Favorite College Graduates” survey. In 2011, for the 14th consecutive year, Tamkang University placed first among all private universities, reflecting the high esteem in which Taiwanese enterprises hold Tamkang University graduates.