A much anticipated Self-Assessment took place at TKU on the 6th of this month. It was carried out by 14 external experts, or “commissioners”, who were accompanied throughout by TKU college deans, secretaries, and members of an ad hoc TKU self-assessment team. Throughout the day, the commissioners listened to briefings and reports, visited TKU colleges and department buildings, conducted interviews of TKU students, faculty and staff, and reviewed related TKU materials. They reached numerous conclusions: that TKU boasts an old, venerable history and a comprehensive, complete administrative system; its positioning in the marketplace is clear and distinct, and its faculty and staff display a close sense of teamwork; it possesses forward momentum, with a well-oiled system of organization and a strict process for reviewing new plans; its system of Total Quality Management, implemented in 1992, is also one of its strengths. However, they warned that TKU must look for appropriate countermeasures to the potentially crippling affects of falling birth rates, which threaten to strangle supplies of future students.

In her presentation, TKU President Dr. Flora Chia-I Chang gave a brief outline of TKU’s objectives, described the unique features of the Total Quality Management System, and explained the measures TKU is currently taking to remedy problems and challenges by using the PDCA problem-solving process. She said that to achieve sustainable development, TKU has specifically worked to position itself as a unique institution in Taiwan’s academic marketplace; to develop its distinguishing features and strengths; and to implement initiatives aimed at improving TKU’s overall efficiency and operation.

When giving suggestions and feedback, many commissioners expressed their hopes that Tamkang may continue to advance the level of quality among private universities in Taiwan; and recommended that Tamkang maintains its current goal of achieving educational globalization.