Tamkang University

Tamkang University’s Triple objectives: Globalization, Information-oriented Education, and Future-oriented Education, was born out of the foresight of Tamkang’s founder, Dr. Clement C. P. Chang. He states that “since the founding of the university, Tamkang has set ‘Globalization, Information-oriented Education, and Future-oriented Education’ as main objectives. The final goal is to attain quality research, improve instruction and enhance social welfare.”

Why Choose Tamkang University-- The finest private coeducational university with the longest history and the fastest development in Taiwan.

-- The first university in Taiwan which inaugurated the College of International Studies and initiated Area Studies programs, including the Graduate Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, American Studies, Latin American Studies, European Studies, Slavic Studies, and China Studies.

-- The first university in Taiwan to adopt the “Digitalized Campus Teaching Support Platform” concept.

-- In Taiwan’s first English-Friendly Environment Evaluation in 2003, the government has ranked Tamkang the number one university in the country.

-- In the “1,000 Enterprises’ Favorite College Graduates” survey, conducted by the well-known Common Wealth (Cheers) Magazine, Tamkang University was ranked number one for twelve consecutive years on the list of local private universities.

-- Ranked 351st place among world universities, 38th in Asia, 10th in Taiwan and 1st in Taiwanese private universities by Webometrics 2009.

Globalization

At its founding in 1950, the university possessed an international outlook. In the years that followed globalization became our logical direction. Globalization has long been one of the Triple Objectives of Tamkang University. In 1994, we were the first among all Taiwan universities, both public and private, to implement the Junior Year Abroad Program. Since then, 4,071 juniors of our university have studied abroad for one year. our Lanyang campus requires that all the courses be taught in English. Our policy also stipulates that all juniors at that campus must study abroad for one year. Currently, we have approximately 452 juniors studying overseas. We also have 108 sister universities in twenty-eight countries. At this time, we have an enrollment of about 255 foreign students and five well-known universities abroad share joint-degree programs with us.

In recent years, Tamkang University has been applying the "mass collaboration" model of Wikinomics to promote globalization. In putting more emphasis on multiple integration and innovation, we endeavor to make globalization a "peer production" from which faculty and students are able to benefit and make contributions. With such an orientation, faculty and students become "prosumers." Our long-term goal is to transform our university into a world-class institution. To achieve this goal, the number of high calibers foreign faculty and foreign students must grow significantly. We are deeply committed to achieving this goal. It is our hope that before long this number will reach a "critical mass."

Information-oriented Education

Tamkang has long been a pioneer in information processing. Since the establishment of the Information Processing Center in 1968, Tamkang has applied computer technologies to administration, teaching, research, and services. To create the most attractive information-oriented campus is our vision.The information strategies are: (1) to continuously have a secure, reliable and fast information environment; (2) to integrate both information power and its applications on campus; (3) to possess a continuously innovative momentum; (4) to have ubiquitous applications campus-wide; (5) to serve the university for a lifetime. In recent years, Tamkang has constructed an economical off-campus dorm network, a fast and convenient campus network, a multi-layer security network, an innovative Digitalized Campus Teaching Support Platform, and an intensive and extensive university affairs information system--all of which makes Tamkang the most attractive e-Campus.

Tamkang is the first academic institution in the world to receive the ISO 20000 certificate, the international standard for an IT Service Management System. And it is also the first academic/research institution in Taiwan to receive the ISO 27001 certificate, the international standard for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). The "e-Business Team" of Tamkang, comprised of faculty and students, has made Tamkang the first private university to qualify as an "e-Service Institution" according to the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. When e-Business Weekly Magazine recently conducted a survey on the digital environment of colleges and universities in Taiwan, Tamkang ranked number one out of a total of 127, and was described as a "digital paradise."

Tamkang is currently in collaboration with mobile telecommunication businesses, for the purpose of constructing an all-new borderless, wireless university. According to the 2009 evaluation results of Webometrics, TKU is ranked 351st among 17,000 universities and research institutes, 31st in Asia, 10th in Taiwan and 1st among private Taiwan universities, a very honorable achievement.

Future-oriented Education

Because of the tremendous impact that technology had upon Taiwanese society in the 1960s, Dr. Clement C.P. Chang, our Founder, started to aggressively introduce Futures Studies in Taiwan. He initiated “The Future of Tomorrow,” a pioneer magazine about Futures Studies; as well he encouraged seminars and courses of Futures Studies in general and core education. Through the curriculum of the graduate institute and the undergraduate program for Futures Studies, students today learn how to recognize the future, adjust to its changing nature, and create the future. Due to its outstanding achievements and innovations, Tamkang University received an award for being the “Best Futures Studies Research Institution” from the World Futures Studies Federation in 1999.

The future-orientated education is not only exhibited in teaching but also embodied in various stages of organizational changes, including transcending from the third to the fourth wave, adding the Market Model into university governance, pursuing excellence with soul and spirit, establishing the Oxbridge-style residential collegiate system in the Lanyang campus, and creating the Cyber Campus. These innovative strategies and changes demonstrate Tamkang University’s insightful vision and ability to face the uncertainty and challenges of tomorrow. With the ambition to become a world-class university, the future-oriented education will lead Tamkang University to new niches of research innovations, for example, providing research institutes with cutting-edge technology in their analysis of economic trends and climate changes. The University in keeping with its social responsibilities will also serve as teacher and mentor to global village residents through providing a dialogue between science, technology, and society (STS) and providing strategies and alternatives to solve emerging global problems.