The president’s post at Da-Yeh University (大葉大學) in Changhua County’s Dacun Township (大村) has been vacant for almost a year. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) has criticized the Ministry of Education, saying it should have done more to fill the post. Fan suggested that the selection of a president at a private university should be the same as at public universities. In response, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said the ministry has been looking for a suitable person to be the acting president.
In 2005, the Legislative Yuan already proposed that a private university’s president should be selected in the same way as a public university’s president. How a selection committee would be formed should also be the same: university representatives, alumni and third parties from the general public should be proportionally recruited. However, the Ministry of Education has not yet implemented these regulations.
Da-Yeh University was founded more than 30 years ago. Most members of the public would agree that it is a reputable university. It has held the National Intercollegiate Athletic Games, and its students have won several awards from international contests, including the Red Dot Design Award. It is regrettable that in recent years, due to a succession of different presidents, the administration and staff of the university have been shifting. The university has been affected by this unstable situation, and its performance has been declining accordingly.
Da-Yeh University has been without a president since November last year, but without any regulation, the board members have failed to select a president and the problem has remained unaddressed. The main reason can be found in the Private School Act (私立學校法). Its Article 32 specifies: “Resolutions reached at board meetings shall be carried out only with over half the board members in attendance and over half the board members in attendance voting on them. Resolutions having to do with the following shall be carried out only with at least two-thirds of the board members in attendance and over half the board members in attendance voting on them: first, re-election and by-election of board members; second, election, re-election and by-election of the president; and third, employment or removal of the schoolmaster.”
The law specifies that the board members are entitled to select a president, and most members would not give up this right, but if a consensus cannot be reached at the board meetings, it would be extremely difficult to choose a president. Moreover, if some board members have an ulterior motive, or if the process leads to conflict and division, the university will certainly be negatively affected.
When Da-Yeh University was established in 1990, the government was supportive of the establishment of private universities — the more, the better. In Changhua County, examples include Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, Mingdao University, Da-Yeh University and Chienkuo Technology University. Chung Chou University of Science and Technology and Mingdao University have both been ordered to shut down by the Ministry of Education. Changhua residents would not want to see another private university meet the same fate.
Many lecturers and staff have remained loyal to Da-Yeh University. They want the board to keep the autonomy of the university intact. Hopefully, the family that contributed to the founding of the university can respect professionals and abide by the law. The board members should recognize the essence of the university, and students’ rights should be given priority. Only by doing so can the name Da-Yeh shine again.
Chang Huey-por is a former president of National Changhua University of Education.
Translated by Emma Liu
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