Tunghai University (THU; ; lit. East Sea University) is a private university in Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). It is located in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan. The university is known for its liberal arts education. On the campus, the Luce Memorial Chapel (designed by architects Chen Chi-kwan and I. M. Pei) is a local landmark. The university shares its name with Tokai University in Japan. The two universities have since entered a partnership agreement.

History

Tunghai University was founded on the Dadu Plateau, west of Taichung City, in 1955 by Methodist missionaries. The then US Vice President, Richard Nixon, had participated at the ground-breaking ceremony in 1953. The school was named "Tunghai" ("east sea") based on its position east of the Taiwan Strait. In 1950, the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA) established the university in Taiwan as spiritual successor of closed Mainland Christian universities: Fukien Christian University, Ginling College, Hangchow University, Huachung University, Hwa Nan College, Lingnan University, Nanking University, St. John's University, University of Shanghai, Shantung Christian University, Soochow University, West China Union University, and Yenching University.

Timeline

Academics

Tunghai has nine colleges: College of Science, College of Arts, College of Management, College of Social Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Agriculture, College of Law, College of Fine Arts and Creative Design, and International College, 34 departments and 35 master's programs (one independent master's program and 13 in-service master's programs) and 14 PhD programs.

College of Arts

College of Science

College of Engineering

College of Management

College of Social Science

College of Agriculture and Health

College of Fine Arts and Creative Design

College of Law

International College

In 2014, the university established its English-taught International College, offering three bachelor's degree programs: international business administration (IBA), sustainability science and engineering (SSE), and an interdisciplinary program. In 2020, the International College began accepting international students who would like to learn Chinese without declaring a major in the first two years. In their junior and senior year, students can declare a major in either programs within the International College or other colleges at Tunghai University.

Center for General Education

The university puts emphasis on liberal education. The center offers courses in the fields of natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and Western classics.

Library

The Tunghai University Main Library is located at the end of the Campus Mall. Library holdings include, approximately, 600,000 volumes, 6,515 current serials, 21,523 electronic serials, nonprint formats, and rare books.

Ranking

Ecological and social responsibility

Tunghai University is ranked in third place among all the universities in Taiwan, and first among private universities, in Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, 2020, which assesses universities against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the 2020 Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Award (TCSA), Tunghai University scored high in the categories of Sustainability Model University. Tunghai also won USR's Best Sustainability Project Awards. Tunghai University and National Taiwan University both won Golden class honors.

External Affiliations

The university is member of the following international organizations and consortia:

Campus life and traditions

The Luce Memorial Chapel

The Luce Chapel is a Christian chapel at Tunghai University in Taichung, Taiwan. Henry R. Luce, the founder of Time Magazine and Life Magazine, funded its construction to commemorate his father, Henry W. Luce. It is the work of Taiwanese architect Chen Chi-Kwan and Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. It is a landmark of Tunghai University and Taichung City. On April 25, 2019, it was declared a national monument by the Ministry of Culture.

Priest Bell Tower

Built in 1966, the Priest Bell Tower is located in front of the entrance of the Luce Memorial Chapel in Tunghai University. In 2017, the Taichung City Cultural Assets Office registered it as a municipal monument. The Bell Tower is named in honor of Elsie Priest, who was invited to Taiwan by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA) in early 1955 to assist Tunghai University as the chief accounting officer and general secretary. Priest made many contributions to the university in its early years.

Tunghai Experimental Farm

The farm is the largest farm for education and student internships in the country. Covering 50 ha, there are about 200 dairy cows on the farm, which produces Tunghai's dairy products, including milk and ice cream.

Wenli Boulevard (Arts and Science Boulevard)

With the red bricks and gray tiles of colleges on both sides and the dense shade of the trees, Wenli Boulevard serves as the main line of movement between the colleges.

Christmas Eve at Tunghai

The university regularly holds cultural events at its campus, including concerts, choirs, and parties.

List of presidents

Notable alumni