Tamkang University Lanyang CampusMany parents arrived at the campus before 8:00 in the morning. At 8:30, a video clip about the GSIP volunteers participating in the NGOs of various south-eastern countries was playing, along with many snapshots of the graduation projects done by the students from the Department of English Language and Culture, and of the community services that students participated in the remote areas in Yilan. Through the footage, freshman students and the parents would be able to envision what the learning will be like in each department at the Lanyang Campus.
The Provost of the College of Global Development, Dr. Pao Zhenhao, gave a presentation with a title that read "Sometimes, Giving Up Is Actually A Good Thing." He started his presentation by saying, "I'm here to persuade you into giving up." He took the example of white truffles, also known as the Diamonds of the Table, saying that not everyone likes the taste of them. He then asked the reason why students and the parents chose the school. Is it because you love to or you can learn in an all-in-English environment? Is it because you want to study abroad in the junior year? Dr. Pao explained that without strong motivation and specific goals of learning, students would soon get tired of seeing the beautiful scenery of Turtle Island around the campus and feel bored. Students need to know clearly what they want, so they will take the initiative to seek help from instructors. Well as it goes in the Bible, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Dr. Pao hoped that students knew they were here because they made the informed decision, or otherwise, it would likely end up wasting much of their time.
After the presentation, students and the parents, based on the department they chose, were guided by the director and the teachers to the departmental space and listened to the department briefing. Students and the parents would be able to ask questions to better understand the characteristics and the development of the department. Students and the parents were provided with the Student Handbook, the Junior Study Abroad pamphlet, and the Orientation Briefing pamphlet for references. They were also reminded to check out the official website of the Lanyang Campus for the latest news on a regular basis. At the end of the event, students and the parents took campus tours to learn about the college's facilities and the student life at the dormitory.
The Lanyang Campus has started recruited students since 2005. The materialization of global education is one of the advantages of the Lanyang Campus, which is built as a special campus for the internationalization of Taiwan's higher education. Currently, there are students from more than 22 countries studying and living on the campus. Every year, about 180 students go and study abroad for one academic year. In addition, students are provided with various internship opportunities abroad. Through the hands-on experience in the practicum, students are able to practice what they are preached in class, which in turn helps the Lanyang Campus gain international fame and achieve the goal of training globally-competitive professionals. In order to enhance the international competitiveness of students in the workplace, the Lanyang Campus has focused on improving student learning experience from three aspects. First of all, junior study abroad programs. Students are required to study at one of the sister schools overseas for one year. Secondly, all-in-English lectures. All courses are delivered in English and designed to prepare students for studying abroad in the junior year. Thirdly, a residential college. Students are provided with on-campus housing and a school tutor will be on-site to offer immediate assistance and organize many activities for students to practice what they have learned in class on campus. Hopefully, after the orientation briefing, the parents will have more faith in the campus and firmly believe that their children will be immersed in a quality learning environment at the Lanyang Campus.
