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TKU Holds Orientation Events to Welcome Foreign Student Arrivals

Date 2018-09-06 5221 Clicks

Since Tamkang University began accepting foreign students in 1990, an average of 2,000 students from around the world have come to TKU to study each year. In order to greet the most recent group of foreign students, and help them feel more at home here, on Sept 5, 2018 the TKU International and Cross-Strait Affairs Office held a series of orientation lectures and a welcome party. Close to 700 foreign students participated in the event, as did a number of senior-level TKU faculty and staff, including the President of Tamkang University, Dr. Huan-Chao Keh, who hosted the proceedings. Also present at the event were the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Chii-Dong Ho, the Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Kao-Cheng Wang, and the Dean of International Affairs, Dr. Lucia Chen, as well as department chairs and section chiefs from each of Tamkang's departments and major administrative divisions.

The series of events commenced with remarks from TKU's President Keh, who cited statistics from the Ministry of Education highlighting a massive increase in the number of foreign students studying in Taiwan over the past 15 years. From 2.17 million foreign students in 2000, this number has more than doubled, reaching 4.85 million in 2016. Conversely, President Keh noted, Tamkang University also encourages its students to embark on exchange or international programs at its sister universities overseas. So far, in 2018, over 1,400 TKU students have gone to sister universities to take part in exchange and study programs. Of these, under the Junior Abroad Program, 648 juniors traveled to 110 universities in 19 countries to pursue their studies.

The president's opening remarks were followed by a greeting from the Dean of International Affairs, Lucia Chen, whose welcome remarks were delivered in fluent English to the 600-plus foreign students present. During her brief speech, Dean Chen urged students to keep in close contact with the International Office and expressed her hope that the new students were able to adapt to their new environment as quickly as possible.

At the "welcome party" later that evening, students were treated to delicious Taiwanese food, while various displays were set up, giving the newly arrived foreign students a chance to experience Chinese calligraphy and view an array of Taiwanese relics.

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