Soochow University (Taiwan)
Soochow University is a private university located in Taipei. Although the Soochow University in Taiwan maintains a church and a Methodist minister in residence, it may be considered a secular institution. The University's College of Law is considered to be one of the best in Taiwan.
東吳大學
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© Soochow University
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| Motto: Unto a full grown man |
| President |
Liu Yuan-tsun |
| School type |
Private |
| Religious affiliation |
Methodist |
| Founded |
1900; "Reactivated" in 1951 |
| Location |
Taipei City, Taiwan ROC |
| Enrollment |
12,000 grad., 1100 post-grad. |
| Faculty |
421 (full time), 747 (part time) |
| Campus surroundings |
Semi-rural |
| Campus size |
37.5 acres (Main Campus) |
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History
The original Soochow University was founded by Methodists in Suzhou in 1900 as a merger of three existing institutions: the Po-hsi Academy, the Kung-hsiang Academy, and the Chung-hsi Academy.
After the Chinese Civil War, members of the Soochow Alumni Association who fled to Taiwan established a shadow Soochow University in Taiwan to make up for the Zhongzheng district and the main campus located near the National Palace Museum in Taipei's Shilin district. The law and business colleges are located in the downtown campus. All other colleges are located in the main campus.
Faculty and student housing are available on the main campus although they cannot meet demand. There are three female student dorms and two male student dorms with a total occupancy of 1,500. Many students commute to campus by bus and the subway system.
Organization
Taiwan's first private university is headed by a president and a board of trustees. The University is divided into five schools or colleges, each having a variety of departments:
- School of Arts and Social Science
- Department of Chinese Literature
- Department of History
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of Political Science
- Department of Sociology
- Department of Social Work
- Department of Music
- Teacher Education Program
- School of Foreign Language and Culture
- Department of English Language and Literature
- Department of Japanese Language and Literature
- Department of German Language and Literature
- Language Center
- School of Science
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Physics
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Microbiology
- Department of Psychology
- School of Business
- Department of Economics
- Department of Accounting
- Department of Business Administration
- Department of International Business
- Department of Computer and Information Science
- Undegraduate Program of Business
Sports
Sports play an important role in campus life. The downtown campus has tennis and basketball courts. The main campus has indoor and outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, a race track, a mini rock climbing wall, and a field that is used for both softball and soccer. Each year the university holds two major student athletic events.
Much of the sports facilities on the main campus are on land owned by the Taipei city government rather than by the university. The city government has considered in the past to reclaim the land to build an expressway, but has decided to back off with this project.
Clubs
The university has 183 student clubs or societies.
Traditions
- 24-hour International Ultramarathon: Runners from several countries, students, faculty, and celebrities such as Ma Ying-jeou participate in this annual event. Only very few of the contestants venture running for the entire duration of the twenty-four hour marathon. Portable toilets are set up near the race track with one or two toilets reserved for certain internationally renowned runners. Some spectators set up tents near the track and camp the entire night watching the marathon.
- Campus Christmas Carol: Students from the music department visit the faculty residential apartment complexes to sing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve. Having people singing Christmas carols in the neighborhood is a rare sight in Taiwan since Christiams make up a small minority of the Taiwanese population.
Noted Soochow alumni
Noted Soochow faculty
See Also
List of universities in Taiwan
