“We are all here to be shocked and awed!” said Yan-Nan Hu, the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), while he was presiding over the conference. After listening to the experiences and problems shared by the attendees, it was clear that scholars and educators alike, are trepidatious as they are confronted with the current circumstance of higher education.

        For the conference, TPOD invited Provost and Vice Chancellor Johannes Britz of University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and Professor Anna Kindler of University of British Columbia, to provide a different perspective on the state of higher education. For example, using his own university as an example, Vice Chancellor Britz pointed out the transition required for universities today. He believed that one of the reasons that universities are having difficulties is that they are not changing with the time. Universities must change the ways they teach because the students today are also different from the past. Universities must cultivate students with skills that the current and future economies need. Diversifying courses can be key to the survival of future universities. Similarly, Professor Kindler noted that quality of instruction has not moved forward as quality of research has; and this is why Professor Kindler believed that assessment and evaluation are critical to future universities. Through feedbacks from students and colleagues, there will be an added impetus for universities to improve their instruction. Clearly, this is in no way a guarantee of reform, nor would its impact be immediate, and that is why higher education institutions should continue to strive for breakthroughs, to embrace change, so as to ensure the quality of the education they offer.

        The experiences and lessons shared in each of the conference’s sessions echoed much of what Vice Chancellor Britz and Professor Kindler said. Reforming the university is often complicated and difficult. While there are many devoted educators in Taiwanese higher education institutions, for the transformation of universities to take place, not only is the active participation of students also essential, the collective determination of the university as a whole will remain central to its success.