Due to SARS and the demand of Ministry of Education (MOE) to temporarily halt the commencement ceremony, Tamkang University (TKU) can not but obey the MOE’s demand and hold an outdoor diploma and award presentation ceremony at the University Commons on Tamsui Campus. TKU President Chang Horng-jinh wrote a letter to congratulate parents of graduates to express his best wishes.

The full text of letter reads as follows:

The campus is always full of mixed parting sadness and bumper harvest with joy when the phoenix trees are blooming in June. First of all, I would like to congratulate you that your lovely sons or daughters will walk out into the next stage of their life with their matured and steady steps. After being molded in TKU, your sons or daughters have demonstrated the exclusive quality of TKU family. They will inject a new vitality to the society. I feel so happy from the bottom of my heart but mix with a little sorrow, as they are leaving school.

TKU has obtained high confirmation and expectancy from every kind of evaluations in the past years. It has already become a leading university among the private ones in Taiwan and even surpassed several public universities due to the following reasons: the evaluation of mid-term school administration program made by Ministry of Education (MOE), evaluation of general education and core curriculum, surveys made by the Common Wealth Magazine and Global View Monthly, and a survey of the university’ digital environment comparison. This is the identification and confirmation of the government and the society toward TKU. The achievement will be the best graduation gift for your sons and daughters from TKU.

At present, the epidemic SARS has already affected the activity of teachers and students in all levels of schools in Taiwan. Our school obeys the MOE demand to halt the commencement ceremony. I regret very much if the ceremony is held without your (parents of graduates) participating in. However, I sincerely bless that your son or daughter will grasp his or her life to create a brilliant future. TKU takes pride of your son or daughter.

Yours truly,

Chang Horng-jinh, President

Tamkang University

June 2, 2003