City University of Hong Kong president Kuo Way (郭位) — one of three candidates on a short-list for the next president of Academia Sinica — turned down an interview with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), citing a scheduling conflict and saying that he stood by his April 17 decision to withdraw his candidacy for the job.
In a letter to Ma that was published by the Chinese-language United Daily News on Sunday, Kuo wrote that he was unable to attend the interview due to work commitments, adding that after he had announced his decision to withdraw he had expected the matter to rest there, but his name was nevertheless on a list of candidates submitted to Ma.
When Kuo quit the race, he made remarks highly critical of the selection process for the institution’s president, saying it was mired in mudslinging and scheming, making an otherwise academic matter a highly politicized one, so he had decided to withdraw his candidacy to avoid stoking social divisions.
“Academia Sinica is in need of reform. The institution should be streamlined to make it a purely academic agency, which should be mainly composed of researchers, while its principal duties should be recognizing and rewarding outstanding research, while supporting the development of science and cultural policies,” Kuo wrote in the letter.
The institution does not admit students, which needs to be corrected, and mergers with universities would facilitate the idea of combining research with education, helping to introduce scientific research to society, Kuo wrote.
Kuo was said to be a favored candidate for his perceived affinity with Ma and his pro-China stance, but he wrote in the letter that “in a society where morality has declined, people with integrity who propose honest suggestions become subject to false accusations, which is detrimental to academic freedom.”
Academia Sinica Acting President Wang Fan-sen (王汎森) took over the institution after Ma approved the resignation of former Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) on Tuesday last week, following Wong’s involvement in an insider trading scandal.
Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday reiterated that the appointment of the Academia Sinica president would not be made before Ma has interviewed the candidates, adding that the interviews are still being arranged.
Ma said earlier that he would leave the appointment of the position to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after she assumes office if they disagree on the most suitable candidate.
While Academia Sinica has refused to reveal the candidates, a list leaked to the media suggested the candidates are Kuo, University of California Los Angeles department of chemistry and biochemistry director James Liao (廖俊智) and Academia Sinica institute of atomic and molecular sciences director Chou Mei-yin (周美吟).
Liao reportedly won most votes from members of Academia Sinica’s selection committee. The candidate with most votes is typically appointed the institution’s president.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have