National Taiwan University (NTU) has confirmed that it would, as of next semester, no longer be retaining the services of former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton, who has been a visiting professor at the school’s Center for General Education and the International College.
The center had previously said that Stanton was doing a good job and was unaware of why university authorities had decided not to renew his contract.
The presence on the faculty of a person of Stanton’s experience and standing was of huge benefit to the university. His departure would be a significant blow to its international profile and reputation.
Stanton has had a long career as a diplomat, and is considerably knowledgeable about Middle Eastern and East Asian affairs.
He was stationed in the US embassy in Beijing and was there during the Tiananmen Square Massacre; he was director of the US Department of State’s Office of UN Political Affairs; deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in South Korea; and deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Canberra.
He is the first former AIT director to remain in Taiwan after his retirement, thereby affirming his approval of Taiwan. His wealth of experience in foreign relations is a boon for the school and for Taiwan in general.
I have had the opportunity to attend Stanton’s lectures, and have been profoundly impressed by his knowledge of foreign relations.
His English-language course “The Big Picture: How Geography, Trade and Politics Shape Our Troubled World” was well-received and attracted about 90 students.
Stanton earned a doctorate in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Yet, despite his teaching ability, profound learning and practical experience, his teaching stint is to be truncated.
Stanton has, on many occasions and in many major forums, spoken on the need to face up to the threat posed by China, and has expressed the wish that the US would give up its outdated “one China” policy.
This stance, given his status, is taken seriously by the international media and this is beneficial to the promotion of Taiwan’s international profile and reputation, too.
Leonard Unger, the last US ambassador to the Republic of China, also chose to go into teaching on his retirement from diplomatic service, to teach about cross-strait affairs.
It is most unfortunate that NTU has not been able to retain an ambassador-level professor on its international affairs programs.
If NTU students’ international aspirations are compromised, and purely for the sake of political differences, it is difficult to see how Taiwan will fare against an invasion by China, given its position on the front line.
If NTU wants to be considered a top-tier university, it needs to have higher aspirations and ambitions in terms of its international standing.
It would be entirely regrettable if the university restricted its ambitions for cultivating students’ international worldview simply in terms of English proficiency tests for the graduation threshold, at the expense of courses beneficial to the cultivation of a more sophisticated understanding of international affairs.
The university should consider re-evaluating its decision not to retain Stanton.
This would be for the good not just of the student body, but also for Taiwan in general.
Michael Lin is a postgraduate student at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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