Tamkang University (TKU) Founder Dr. Clement C. P. Chang said last Wednesday that the extension education has become the most important link to the mass education of the “Fox Educational Century”. We should pay attention to tap the post-retired educational market, a market being eagerly developed, Chang said.

Facing drastic competition from local universities, Chang instructed the agencies concerned to consider whether the existing organizations of extension education —Extension Education Center, Public Services Center and the Office of Research and Development are merged into an organization or function separately.

Drastic competition and economic recession have affected the school incomes and development. The school incomes and development have been stagnating or declining since the 1999 academic year. TKU President Chang Horng-jinh, therefore, summoned a meeting to review the extension education and its development at Alumni Hall on Taipei Campus last Wednesday where he listened to the working reports submitted by Director of Extension Education Center Han Yao-lung, Director of Public Services Center Lee Ter-chao, and Director of Research and Development Lin Kuan-nan. TKU Founder Dr. Clement C. P. Chang was also at present.

TKU President pointed out that the extension education is the main function of Taipei Campus. How to manifest its function, its teaching support for other educational units and the R&D program is one of the important missions to be carried out by the extension education. He hoped that we should try our best to consider how to innovate and create more opportunities to face the economic recession. He also hoped that teachers of Carrie Chang Fine Arts Center would offer non-credit courses in the future.

President Chang also mentioned that the screening committee of the Ministry of Education appraised the functions of extension education, public services and research. Therefore, we should reconsider whether the Public Services Center is needed or canceled or should be renamed.