Preface
Preface of the Chairperson, Board of Trustees
My late father, Tamkang University’s prescient founder, Dr. Clement C. P. Chang, once said that knowledge is like a crystal – the collective distillation of society as a whole. To expand the scope of domestic research and elevate scholarship in line with international standards, in the early 1970s TKU instituted what was known as the “Tamkang Lectures.” Renowned experts and scholars were invited to conduct academic speeches, with notes from their lectures compiled into various volumes and published regularly. In time, it became an influential publication.
In the 70 years since its inception, Tamkang University has been deeply influenced by the spirit of my father, who believed that a university should strive for the betterment of the whole nation, the whole world. Education offered by universities should cultivate both polymaths and specialists, incorporating both theory and practice. With the ‘Triple Objectives of Education’ as a conceptual framework, TKU has fostered a culture that emphasizes personal character and ethical values, embodied best in the ‘Three Circles’ and ‘Five Disciplines’ of Education. At TKU, course content and teaching skills are consistently updated, total quality management strategies are applied when necessary, the sigmoid curve has been established, and the Blue-Ocean Strategy is optimally applied, thus giving rise to the Matthew Effect. As the younger generation walks in the footsteps of its forebears, it continues to shape the organizational culture, gradually establishing the Tamkang University brand.
Tamkang alumni have made generous contributions to their alma mater, raising enough funds to build the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center, which boasts world-class facilities. Heartened by such largesse, my father, the late Dr. Clement C. P. Chang, and my mother, the Honorary Chairperson (Board of Trustees) Carrie Chang, donated NTD 300 million to establish a lecture program, whereby internationally renowned “Panda-level” scholars would be invited to deliver lectures. My father believed that pandas were extremely rare creatures, and therefore particularly precious. As such, a sculpture bearing a doctoral-cap-wearing panda is specially presented to each participating scholar, and symbolizes the determination to diligently care for others, and to spread a spirit of love and perseverance. It is a way of recognizing the lofty academic achievements attained by the distinguished scholar.
To coincide with the TKU 70th Anniversary Celebration, a special edition will be published chronicling the various academic events held during the festivities. “It is only when we are standing on the shoulders of giants that we can look at the world with great foresight.” I think back to the 60th Anniversary Celebration, when my father said, “You could say that Tamkang is my second life.” Viewing education as one's mission, bearing a heavy burden and “going the extra mile” is the right way to live.
Dr. Flora Chia-I Chang
Chairperson, Board of Trustees
Tamkang University
Preface of the President
Tamkang University (TKU) was founded in 1950. It adheres to the triple objectives of globalization, information-oriented education, and future-oriented education promoted by the founder, Dr. Clement C. P. Chang, who oversaw three distinct periods of development at TKU: the foundational period, positioning period, and uplifting period. Subsequently, Tamkang continued to develop thanks to the outstanding contributions of previous university presidents, who helped shape its characteristics and establish a culture of total quality management. With the addition of the Lanyang Campus – which features the "Three 'All' Policy" (All Juniors Abroad, All English Teaching, and All Residential College) – the fourth wave of development, the transformational period, saw Tamkang University grow into a comprehensive university that comprised the Tamsui, Taipei, Lanyang, and Cyber campuses.
Due to the donations of TKU alumni, the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center was constructed and officially opened on the day of TKU’s 2017 anniversary. This symbolized the start of the fifth wave of development, the transcending period. The Founder of TKU, the late Dr. Clement C. P. Chang, and the Honorary Chairperson (Board of Trustees), Carrie Chang, donated NTD $300 million to establish a unique foundation named the “Tamkang Clement and Carrie Chair.” With funding from this foundation, around 20 renowned international scholars are invited annually to deliver lectures at TKU. Seeking to enhance the development of internationalization among colleges, each Tamkang college invites renowned international scholars to visit the campus to conduct lessons, hold lectures, and provide guidance on related research. By doing so, TKU strives to strengthen its soft power and reach its goal of building more software and hardware facilities on the Tamsui Campus.
Pandas are an endemic species viewed as a national treasure by Chinese society. They are known as living fossils in the biological sciences. The purpose of the Tamkang Clement and Carrie Chair Fund is to encourage various colleges and departments on campus to develop their unique and distinctive traits. As of 2020, the Tamkang Clement and Carrie Chair Fund has successfully invited 17 internationally renowned scholars from 9 different countries, including the United States, Canada, France, Austria, Poland, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore; among them, seven scholars possess national academician qualifications. The objective of the Tamkang Clement and Carrie Chair is gradually being fulfilled: achieving the founder’s vision of creating a world-class University.
To promote Tamkang University’s international visibility and academic reputation, and guide faculty and students to develop international perspectives and cross-cultural literacy with a pioneering mindset, lecture notes will be compiled into a series of books for the 70th Anniversary celebration. This will allow Tamkangians to more readily grasp trends in international academic research, glean professional knowledge and skills, attain a higher standard of scholarship quality, and generate a sparkling fifth wave of development, while carving out a sustainable niche for TKU.
Dr. Huan-Chao Keh
President of Tamkang University
