BY DARREN WEE Supplement Writer Tamkang University’s (淡江大學) 2010 international conference coincides with the university’s 60th anniversary and this weekend 80 foreign friends of the university will arrive to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee. The conference, entitled ‘Global Transitions and Asia 2060: Climate, Political-Economy and Identity’ (預見 2060：轉變中的亞洲未來國際研討會), will address the potential pitfalls that stand in the way of Asia’s almost imminent rise to dominance. The university hosts an international conference every five years, and this year 14 academics from nine countries are attending. The opening ceremony took place yesterday in the university’s International Conference Hall followed by opening remarks from two university professors and two foreign guests. First to address the audience was Jian-Bang Deng (鄧建邦), chair of Tamkang’s Graduate Institute of Future Studies. He introduced the conference’s sponsors and its three themes — sustainable energy, political and economic models and Asian identity in transition. Next up to the podium, was the President of Tamkang University, Flora Chia-I Chang (張家宜) who stressed the need for Future Studies programs. She correctly pointed out that too much of government, corporate and university policy is short-sighted while some changes can only be affected through long-term commitment and international cooperation. Chang also introduced the university’s teaching ethos of globalization, information and future-orientated education. As part of its policy of globalization, Tamkang has already signed sister school agreements with 108 universities and this year 450 Tamkang students are studying at universities abroad. All freshmen are required to take computer-related and Future Studies courses. These courses can be in the fields of social sciences, economics, environmental studies, technology or politics. This forward- thinking approach to learning is one of the unique features of Tamkang education and it is this that has made Tamkang the training ground for future leaders that it is today. Clement C. P. Chang (張建邦), the founder of the university 60 years ago, unfortunately was unable to attend due to health reasons but he prepared a speech that was read by Future Studies professor, Sohail Inayatullah. He pushed the importance of not looking at “one singular trajectory for Asia” but instead, at “alternative futures.” Future Studies does not want to “repeat empiricalbased studies” but rather it wants to imagine and “design a future.” Futures first need to be imagined, then conceptualized by academics and only then can they be implemented. Lastly, two visiting speakers from the U.S. and South Korea took to the stage, Walter Kistler, president of the Foundation for the Future in Seattle and Yer-Su Kim, former rector of the Global Academy for Future Civilizations at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. Kistler admitted that “the future is such an uncertain thing” and to make predictions is dangerous and they are generally wrong. Instead “a landscape of the future” should be imagined and the path to that landscape left open, it cannot be predicted. Kim, from the “blue frog” of South Korean universities, brought up the parallel histories of Kyung Hee and Tamkang universities and the modern histories of the two nations that also seem to parallel each other. The two “original tigers” in the past 60 years have both experienced economic miracles and peaceful transitions to democracy. Asia may not be a continent united by a common set of values and beliefs like Europe is, but seeing the present company who all share a common vision for Asia, one can see an Asian Union before our very eyes. Tamkang was the first and is undisputedly the best independent university in Taiwan and it is this independent spirit that is instilled in each and every Tamkang student.