Slideshow: Photos from Taiwan

Latest Journal: November 9

I attended the 54th birthday celebration for Tamkang University and sat in the front row with Dr. Lily Chen. Other visitors included Gilles Guyot, from University Jean Moulin Lyons 3 in France, and his wife. They were on stage. Mr. Guyot spoke in English and was the only speaker I understood. He had been at Tamkang four years ago when he was university president and helped set up 3+2 program.  I ate a 13 course lunch sitting next to him at a restaurant in town of Damshui

October 26th Journal

Thursday night (Oct. 21), I went to dinner at an American Club with the President of the University and several of his staff. On Friday, after my class, I went to the famous night market with LeAnn Eyerman, who works for Dr. Kao in the International College. We ate dinner at the market - some tasty, but different Japanese thing. 

Dr. Yung Sheng Wu, Dean of the Law School and his 9-year-old son took me to a famous palace museum, which houses the world's largest and best collection of Chinese art.  This collection came to Taiwan when Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists moved to Taiwan and the Communists took over Mainland China, in 1947. Dr. Wu said something quite funny and clever; he said the Japanese were still trying to occupy Taiwan. The museum was so crowded with Japanese tourists we could hardly move.

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October 21st Journal

I had dinner with the President of Ming Chuan (Dr. Chuan Lee), the Dean of the law school, and several of his staff last evening at an American Club. They insisted I eat steak.

We talked of several possible exchanges: a Ming Chuan professor in International Business, Chinese History, to Park for an 8 week semester in fall 2005 and then another Park Professor to Ming Chuan in 2006; MCU students taking Online courses; student exchanges; join research projects between professors maybe about teaching student in U.S. and Taiwan; Ming Chuan helping Park set up a school in hotel management. Dr. Lee also talked of inviting President Byers-Pevitts as his guest to Taiwan in March for a conference. As a Board member of People to People, he may be coming to Kansas City for a meeting and will visit Park then.

I am teaching my fifth class today (Oct. 21) and then go to the Taoyuan campus on Monday (Oct. 25) to teach six classes. I'm staying in a Ming Chuan student run hotel there. Dr. Lee, his staff, and some staff from the Taoyuan campus are having lunch with next Wednesday (Oct. 27). The people and students I have met are so generous; they treat me as an honored guest. The students have given me gifts and insisted they have their photos taken with me.

This is an amazing experience. Thank you for supporting me as we work toward an even stronger relationship

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October 20th Journal

I'm in Taiwan
I've been hand writing a daily journal because I didn't have my Park computer set up until yesterday. I have been taking photos but don't have the right disc reader to send them to Park. I'm hoping Rosaline in Bennie Lee's Office can help me find/purchase the reader I need.

Just a few overall impressions thus far:

• The Taiwanese are a generous people. Bennie Lee may well be the most kind person I've ever met
• Many Taiwanese speak, at least, some English
• Most signs aren't in English
• I've taught two classes in my two days at Ming Chuan. The second was better than the first. I had more visuals, because I realized the students can read English much better than they can hear or speak it. I also saw the wonderful desk top projection machines in the class rooms, which can do lots. I had to do some revision in my classes and have to do more.
• My students want to come to Park and want to be lawyers in the United States (I'm now teaching in the law school in Taipei.)
• I met with LeAnn Eyerman, International Exchange and International Education, this morning about my three goals.
  
  1. Teach classes well enough so students have positive experience and so that other Park faculty will be invited to Ming Chuan and Tamkang.
  2. Find some faculty who are interested in coming to Park in the fall 2005 for an 8 week (or less) session.
  3. Interest students in taking courses with Park online.
     She's meeting with President Lee of Ming Chuan about our conversation. She and I will meet later.
     
• Jet lag is a much bigger deal than I expected. I still wake up at 4 am. This campus is full of stairs. My office is up eight flights. My bad knee/leg hurts.
• I missed the earthquake because American Airlines had mechanical difficulties and all passengers changed to another plane in Dallas and were late arriving at destinations. The typhoon just missed Taiwan but we had several days of rain and wind.

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