The China Post news staff On Saturday, Nov. 6, Tamkang University’s 60th anniversary celebrations formally commenced. As part of the celebrations, guests attended an Official Ceremony, a Cross-Straits Presidents Forum, and a dinner banquet. In the morning part of the program, at the Official Ceremony, around 2,500 attendees heard speeches from the President of the R.O.C., Mr. Ma Ying-jeou, and the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Right Honourable Jim Bolger. In the afternoon, delegates from mainland China participated in a Presidents Forum; and the subsequent dinner banquet was a formal but festive occasion. Tamkang’s Diamond Jubilee is a celebration of its venerable 60- year heritage as Taiwan’s first established private institute of higher education. It is also a forum from which Tamkang hopes to strengthen academic ties with its sister universities and launch forward onto a truly global trajectory. The Official Ceremony was the key fixture and official opening of the Tamkang University Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The gravity of the occasion was reflected in the list of dignitaries in attendance, including the president of the R.O.C., Mr. Ma, the former prime minister of New Zealand and chancellor of the University of Waikato, Mr. Bolger, and leading academic figures including 34 university presidents and vice presidents from a host of renowned universities around the world. Also at the event was a sizeable gathering of present and former students, who came to honor their school in its finest hour, and to lend their support to ensure the event proceeded without a glitch. In front of a full audience, President Ma congratulated Tamkang University on achieving this rare milestone, of six decades as one of Taiwan’s foremost private universities. The chancellor of Waikato University then expressed his hopes for continued academic cooperation and close exchanges with Tamkang University, and his belief in the importance of forming international academic ties. The President of Tamkang University, Dr. Flora Chia-I Chang, also delivered a brief address, as did the founder of Tamkang University, Dr. Clement C.P. Chang. The ceremony concluded as international guests joined local students and staff in singing the Tamkang school anthem. The high-profile turnout reflects Tamkang University’s vigorous efforts over six decades to forge close academic links with renowned overseas universities. It also highlights the esteemed position that Tamkang enjoys among Taiwanese institutes of higher education. Tamkang University was the first private tertiary institution established in Taiwan, and has for 13 consecutive years headed the list of Taiwan’s private universities in Cheers Magazine’s survey of “One Thousand Enterprises’ Favorite College Graduates.” It is also the second largest of all Taiwanese universities, both public and private. Its local achievements have spurred international success, and it now enjoys sister school status and close academic collaboration with a total of 108 overseas universities. Tamkang University has also worked to enhance its academic links with universities in mainland China. The fruits of these efforts can be seen in yesterday’s Cross- Strait University Presidents Forum, which addressed the topic “New Prospects of Cross-Strait Inter-university Cooperation.” The forum comprised several speeches delivered by honorable guest speakers and university presidents, including the president of Fo Guang University and former minister of education, Dr. Chaur Shin Yung, as well as presidents of several cross-strait universities, such as Xiamen University, Jilin University, and the University of Macau. Discourse centered on a range of topics: the challenges associated with educational globalization; practical measures for strengthening academic interflow between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese universities; and strategies to deal with the impact of declining birth rates on student enrolment. The forum was very productive. It generated a number of tangible measures that will bolster and strengthen crossstrait academic relations. In the evening, guests attended a formal banquet, where they were treated to live entertainment and a selection of delicious cuisine. Among the performers organized for the evening were the Tamsui Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tamkang Alumni Choir, the latter of which delivered several canorous melodies as the guests happily dined and conversed. The banquet program involved speeches by Tamkang alumni associations, and at the end of the night, the guests toasted to Tamkang’s future. The Diamond Jubilee is a historic event that will have ripple effects on Taiwan’s higher education for years to come. It was made possible by Tamkang’s tireless efforts over 60 years, in sowing the seeds of globalization. The scale of the Jubilee’s success is reflected in its distinguished list of attendees, who have shaped it into an international spectacle. And although the Jubilee will slowly wind down to its eventual conclusion on Nov. 9, it will leave behind a lasting legacy. It has helped to raise Tamkang University’s international profile, lifting it onto a global footing, and pushing the entire Taiwanese system of higher education onto a new level of educational globalization.