Pulling together all the resources from TKU’s ten Master’s programs at the Colleges of Business and Management, an Executive MBA (EMBA) in-service Master’s program was inaugurated on February 1. Its nerve center is set at Taipei Campus, and Professor Wang Chu Ching of the Department of Business Management is its first executive chair.

Prof. Wang indicates that the establishment of this program is to integrate all the resources from Colleges of Business and Management, and put them to good use. Such integration will, of course, take time. The short term goal is first to provide students with administrative support, specifically tailored services and an atmosphere that is conducive for better student-faculty interactions. At this stage, Prof. Wang and his team will install lockers, printers, and photocopiers, on top of organizing various symposiums and conferences regularly. The program’s mid-term goal, Prof. Wang adds, is to unify all teaching and administrative resources in order to upgrade the program’s status.

For facilitating better interaction among students of various programs at these two colleges, Prof. Wang is planning a joint graduation ceremony for graduates of all in-service Master’s programs and is also scheduling a joint semester opening ceremony for next academic year. Other joint activities and academic events are also in the pipeline. What had been done so far is the inauguration of the EMBA Student Association, which shall play an important role in coordinating different events and bring teachers and students closer together. In the end, Prof. Wang emphasizes that the ultimate goal of integrating such a pool of resources is to ensure everyone involved, i.e. the students, the university and the departments, is satisfied.

Another similar program using integrated resources, E-learning Executive Master’s Program of Business Administration(EMBA) in Global Chinese Management will recruit its students next semester onwards. Prof. Wang said, should meet the needs and lifestyle of many of the future students as they travel frequently. Besides TKU, there are two other universities offering similar program. Hopefully, what TKU does with the program in terms of teaching methodologies and materials will set a good example for other institutes who wish to set up such a program in the future. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )