Taiwan's higher education system has entered a dramatic stage of increased activity during the last several years--beginning in 1988, when martial law was lifted. The number of four-year higher education institutions increased 49 percent, from 39 (in 1988) to 58 (in 1994), while the number of students increased roughly by 52 percent, from 224,820 to 341,320. Before 1994, when the University Law (regulating only the four-year degree-granting colleges) was revised, the cabinet-level Ministry of Education dominated almost every aspect of higher education institutions - public and private - including the tuition each campus charged, the courses offered, the students recruited (through a ministry-organized joint entrance exam board), and the appointment of each college's president.

Initiative for Deregulation
In 1988, as a friendly gesture to the country's main opposition party (the Democratic Progress Party) and to show its determination to implement real democracy, the ruling Kuomingtang (the National Party) declared an end to the 40-year long martial law. This encouraged many college professors to call for more academic freedom. As a result, the ministry agreed to revise the University Law, which regulated a great deal of college operations. During the period between 1990 and 1994, more than five versions of bills to revise the University Law were sent to the Legislative Yuan, the country's highest legislative body, and received enormous attention from the public. A revised University Law was eventually passed in 1994. The revised University Law reduced the power of the Ministry of Education over higher education institutions, and campus operations have become more flexible.

Selection of College Presidents
Before 1994, the Ministry of Education appointed the president of a public college, without any formal consultation with the college's faculty or students. The new law requires that colleges set up a search committee to screen qualified candidates and then recommend two to three finalists to the ministry (in the case of public institutions) or to the trustees (in the case of private colleges). The ministry (or the trustees) must then form a committee to make a final decision.

So far, more than 10 colleges and universities have engaged in this new process of selecting presidents. The approaches these institutions have taken may be classified into two categories: the search committee model and the universal (campuswide) election model. The ministry approved of the former but disapproved of the latter, expressing the opinion that "outsiders" would never be elected and that faculty members would be motivated to take sides. However, college faculty members have expressed their preference for the universal election process because of its opportunity for wider participation.

Changing the Military's Presence on Campus
Before the revision, college students were required to take military training courses (for men) and nursing courses (for women) during the first two years. All these courses were taught by military officers. Faculty members often complained that the presence of the military on campus undermined academic freedom because very few of these military personnel held the credentials to teach at higher education institutions. Additionally, college faculty felt that military personnel on campus were playing the role of "watchdog" for the ruling Kuomingtang.

Following heated debate in the Legislative Yuan, the revised law still authorizes the staffing of a Military Training Office on each campus, but the military and nursing courses have become electives. Many colleges have retained their military personnel to staff student guidance offices, and in some cases for doing clerical work. The Ministry of Defense continues to fund the payroll for military personnel on campuses.

Retention of Ministry-required Courses
All Taiwanese college students were formerly required to take 28 credit hours of so-called "Ministry-required courses," including Sun Yat-sen's Thought (4 hrs.), Chinese Literature (8), English (8), General History of China (4), Modern Chinese History (2), and 2 hours of courses selected from among four choices: International Relations, Constitution of the Republic of China, Introduction to Philosophy, and Introduction to the Laws of the Country. In 1993, these 28 credit hours were regrouped as follows: Chinese Literature (6 hrs.), English (6), History of the Republic of China (4), the Constitution and National Spirit of the Republic of China (4), and general education courses (8).

The Ministry of Education preferred this new curriculum, claiming that these courses would cultivate a political and social consensus among the country's college students. Although the new law did not specifically mention these required courses, the Minister's Regulations for the University Law state that "the common required courses will be developed by the Ministry in consultation with related personnel from the colleges."

Many professors have raised a furor over the ministry's course requirements and have brought the matter before the Grand Judicial Committee, the nation's highest court of justice. The committee ruled that the ministry had exceeded its authority, citing the first article of the University Law, which states "the University should be protected by the principle of academic freedom, and enjoys autonomy within the spheres specified by law." The minister of education has publicly defended his position and announced that he would work to convince the legislature to revise the law. Under the current political circumstances - the ruling party holds only three more than half the seats in the Legislative Yuan--it is unlikely that the minister will succeed.

The Tenure System
Before 1994, contracts between colleges and the faculty members covered up to two years of employment. Many stories have been circulated about professors whose contracts were not renewed due to their political orientations. The new University Law has introduced the tenure system as a measure to protect faculty jobs. However, the details of the implementation and regulation of tenure have not yet been specified.

Financial Autonomy of Public Colleges
Under the new law, the Ministry of Education announced that financial autonomy would accompany academic freedom. The ministry introduced a policy to make public colleges responsible for 20 percent of their annual operating revenues. This policy was a great surprise to college administrators, few of whom have any experience in fund-raising. The variety of fund-raising approaches adopted so far include raising money through alumni associations, convincing faculty members and college administrators to donate part of their salaries to their colleges, and offering extension courses to generate extra tuition revenue. It seems likely that with the pressures of financial autonomy, Taiwanese higher education institutions will become more market oriented than ever before.