Tainan’s privately-run Taiwan Shoufu University announced on Tuesday that it will soon close its doors permanently. This came as a shock to many students and lecturers.
A professor from a private university in Tainan makes an impassioned speech to students. Everyone in the room seems shocked by the school’s recent announcement that it will soon cease operations.
On Tuesday, Tainan’s private Taiwan Shoufu University announced that it will close its doors permanently. This took the faculty and the student body by surprise. Many feel the school wasn’t clear enough in its communication.
All students will need to find other schools, provided they are able to find similar-enough programs. Otherwise, they might need to start over from scratch.
One student says he’ll give up on higher education if he can’t find an appropriate program elsewhere. Many foreign students simply don’t know what to do next.
Shoufu University announced it will let its faculty go before August. They will receive between three and six months’ salary as severance pay. All 881 students will need to transfer out.
The university was established in 2000, but has been struggling with dwindling enrollment. It is far from the only school in Taiwan desperate for new students. Taiwan’s birth rates have been extremely low for decades and are still falling.
The university’s president Chang Shu-chung says that in light of the current situation, the decision was unavoidable.
It seems the school is facing one final exam before closing – making appropriate arrangements for its faculty and students.
Tomasz Koper, RTI News