A Conference for TKU Alumni/ae on Education Innovation was held on November 8 when Tamkang U. was celebrating her 5lst anniversary.

The conference was jointly sponsored by College of Education and Office of Alumni/ae Services & Resources Development.

It was actually a home-coming party for which 36 Tamkang graduates returned home to share their pedagogical experiences as well as reminiscence with each other.

They are all serving in the field of education. Some are college presidents, others are high-school principals, still a great many are primary school superintendents.

Dr. Clement C.P. Chang in his welcoming speech said that he felt honored to have served once as their schoolmaster. “A university’s unique style sometimes can be cultivated through the concerted effort of her alumni/ae. In the past, TKU had tried multiple ways and means to achieve this goal. This has everything to do with money, to be sure. But money isn’t everything. The key to a good successful school lies rather on the shoulders of its principal. If he/she is a competent and talented schoolmaster, he/she will stand a better chance of success. Of course this also has to do with whether he/she can master the right direction and map out all the contingent plans. Take Tamkang, for instance, what we call the unique Tamkang style was achieved through the mechanism of innovative programming which we have time and again implemented after a succession of trials, tests and even failures.”

Dr. Clement C.P. Chang was hoping that the attending alumni/ae would borrow this experimental spirit and apply it to their own schools. Perhaps with all the “chaos” of education reform, as Dr. Chang put it, students will benefit from their schoolmaster’s intelligence and foresight.

Prof. Chen Cheng-kuei, President, Providence University, Taichung, said that he came back overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude. He remembered in good old days, how Tamkang used to be governed by professors, and this democratic spirit has since long implanted in his mind. As Providence University is aimed at becoming the Berkeley of Taiwan, Tamkang has every right to be the Harvard of R.O.C.

Prof. Chen holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from TKU’s College of International Studies.

Prof. Chen Miao-sheng, another successful alumnus from TKU, is now President of Nan Hwa University. He also attributed his achievement to the unselfish guidance lent him by Pres. Chang Horng-jinh, without whose succor, he said, he would have more gray hair on his head.

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