National Taiwan University (NTU) faculty and student representatives yesterday voted 59-51 to shelve a proposal to establish a college of international political economy, pending further discussion.
The proposal was shelved at a university affairs meeting due to a number of concerns.
NTU president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章), who proposed setting up the college on the university’s Taipei campus, told reporters after the vote that he was dismayed by the result.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Chen said he intended to seek approval from the Ministry of Education to establish a political economy college under the Act for National Key Fields Industry-University Cooperation and Skilled Personnel Training (國家重點領域產學合作及人才培育創新條例).
The act was promulgated in May 2021 to foster collaboration between industry and academia, with the aim of cultivating talent and conducting research in several key fields, most notably the semiconductor industry, the ministry said.
Multiple firms, including Fubon Financial Holding Co, Cathay Financial Holding Co and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, had agreed to provide funding for the college, Chen said.
The plan was to establish degree programs focusing on the political economy, finance and the education of top executives — with all courses taught in English, he said.
NTU representatives expressed concerns during the meeting that companies funding the college could potentially exert their influence on areas such as the hiring of lecturers and how courses are taught, affecting the school’s autonomy, Chen said.
Some were also worried that the new college could take up NTU resources, while others said that academics from universities should meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to discuss whether the act should be adjusted.
Chen said that he would discuss the shelved proposal with businesses, adding that the topic would be brought up again in the next school meeting.
He denied that the establishment of the new college was ordered by the Presidential Office, saying that while he had come up with the initial proposal, he could not push through the measure unilaterally and required the support of school representatives.
“Having different opinions is what makes NTU,” he said.
The NTU campus on Xuzhou Road, which used to house its College of Law and College of Social Sciences, has since been unused and needs to be revitalized, he added.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS