“Overcome, Advance, and Transcend” was the aim of the Taiwan Adventist Academy (TAA) and Taiwan Adventist College (TAC) graduating class of 2018. At the commencement exercise held on June 9, 2018, about 150 graduates received their diplomas. Graduates of TAC consisted of 8 graduates of BA in Theology, 2 BA in Religion, 27 Bachelor of Ministry, 3 BA in Health Promotion, 4 BA in Bilingual Business, and 28 Master of Ministry.
More than half of the graduates were from the teaching centers in the Unorganized Territory (UT). They all enjoyed the special weekend at TAC campus. “This campus is like paradise to us,” one of them testified. “How I wish I could have studied on campus,” another one said. They are right; TAC campus is beautiful. It is even listed as one of the tourist sites along with Sun Moon Lake, the Aboriginal Folk Village, and other nearby sites in Nantou Province, Taiwan. In addition to offering on-campus programs, TAC has been the pioneer of offering theological education in the UT. Hundreds of pastors have benefited from the endeavor of TAC.
TAA is the only Adventist academy in Taiwan using Chinese as the media of instruction. It serves as a feeder school to TAC, but not many TAA graduates continue their study at TAC. One reason could be that not all Adventist parents send their children to study at TAA. In addition, graduates from the background of other faiths usually choose national universities. Despite this challenge, TAC continues to grow by implementing various strategies. TAA also needs to come up with good strategies to recruit more students since the enrollment has been decreasing for the last three years.
In his commencement speech, Richard Sabuin, education director of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD), encouraged the graduates to depend not on the knowledge they have gained, but on God, the source of knowledge. This is the uniqueness of Adventist education, a place where students learn about God and develop a relationship with Him.
Representatives from the government and parents of the graduates gave congratulatory speeches. Also, Pastor Steven We from the NSD Taipei office congratulated and encouraged the graduates. This was the last graduation ceremony for Dr. Alice Chen in her capacity as the TAC president after serving for more than 20 years. TAC Board has elected Dr. Terry Tsui as the new president of the college. Mission will remain as the focus of the institution. This is also reflected in the motto of the graduating class: “Forget Not the Original Intention, Set from Start to Finish.”
Article by Richard Sabuin, NSD Education Director