Officials at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) and National Yunlin University of Science and Technology yesterday said that they would promote a merger of the three.
If successful, it would be the largest higher-education merger in Taiwan’s history.
The new institute would have more than 1,200 lecturers and 32,000 students, the universities said.
Photo: Lo Hsin-chen, Taipei Times
While they have yet set a timetable for the merger, they said that they hope to have plans approved at university council meetings by the end of this year.
The plan has been reported to the Ministry of Education, they said.
The goal is to have the new institute recognized as a top Asian university in three to five years after the merger, they said.
NTUST president Liao Ching-jong (廖慶榮) said that he and NPUST president Tai Chang-hsien (戴昌賢) began discussing a merger between three about a month ago.
They agreed that having a third technological university from central Taiwan would make the new university more globally competitive, Liao said.
As the goal is to increase scale, none of the three universities would be downsized, Tai said.
Given that the process would involve many legal issues, they have asked lawmakers to help promote amendments to regulations covering public universities, Tai said.
If the merger succeeds, it would become a new model for mergers, he said.
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology president Yang Neng-shu (楊能舒) said that he would be happy to see the plan succeed, adding that he would establish a panel to handle tasks related to the plan.
While the three have not decided on a name for the new institute, they said they have agreed that “National Taiwan University of Science and Technology” would likely be kept.
The three might be renamed NTUST’s Taipei campus, Yunlin campus and Pingtung campus, they said, adding that the final name must be agreed to by all three universities.
Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠), director of the ministry’s Technological and Vocational Education Department, said that she would be happy to see the merger succeed, as long as it would help make the universities more competitive and that there would be no exchange of benefits.
Expenses, faculty and student numbers are expected to remain the same for the three following the merger, Yang Yu-hui said.
Additional reporting by Wu Po-hsuan
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS