According to the results announced by Ministry of Education (MOE) on October 10, TKU has been awarded NT$ 155,000,000 in grant money from the MOE 2004 budget for private universities. This amount tops the rest of 34 private universities. Although it is roughly NT$ 60,000,000 less than that of last year, which reflects a steady decline in most state funding, TKU still managed to win the most from the MOE.
The MOE provided at least 8 recommendations as regards the grant; The first recommendation referring to teaching and counseling, is the least favorable to TKU due to its low rate of students residing in dormitories and a shortage of accommodation for male students. For the latter, the University worked with a contractor to build Tamkang Campus, a dormitory specifically for male students, sometime ago, but it still requires further modifications concerning design, budget, management and regulations. Yet, all the other recommendations are favorable to TKU’s efforts.
The second recommendation deals with the quality of faculty members and teacher-student ratio, which have shown a great improvement. Despite that, TKU will need to increase not only the number but also the diversity of courses. The third recommendation addresses the contents of courses, which do have a good mix of specific and general knowledge. They are taught by professional teachers who review and modify the courses regularly.
The fourth one is concerned with the re-organization and expansion of academic units. There has been an increase of some academic as well as in-service graduate institutes working towards a higher standard of research. Efforts in promoting continuing education are palpable, too. Some of these efforts, however, are questioned in the fifth recommendation as there are too many full-time teachers involved in the program. The MOE wonders if that would affect regular academic teaching. Still, the MOE believes the courses, both credited and non-credited, at the continuing education center meet the community needs are thus considered satisfactory.
The sixth recommendation praises TKU in opening its library to the public, promoting information exchange with the local residents and schools in the community. Through such connection, TKU is positively involved in various levels of community planning and services. Furthermore, it is encouraging to see the spacious rooms the main library provides for studying. The seventh affirms TKU’s efforts in the continued education and on-the-job training for its faculty and staff. It often holds workshops and seminars on optimizing the efficiency of work; there are also regular meetings on university affairs monitoring correct operations.
Finally, the last recommendation congratulates on the sound financial management of TKU. It is not only healthy but also transparent, though measures on safeguarding the integrity of its property need strengthening.
