Aletheia University (after

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

ἀλήθεια, 'truth') () is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Tamsui Tamsui District () is a seaside district in New Taipei City, Taiwan adjacent to the Tamsui River and overlooking the Taiwan Strait. The name of the district means "fresh water" in Chinese. Although modest in size (population 189,271), Tamsui ...

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

and Madou,

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It was founded by

George Leslie Mackay George Leslie Mackay (偕瑞理 or 馬偕 ''Má-kai''; 21 March 1844 – 2 June 1901) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary. He was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan (then Formosa), serving with the Canadian Presbyterian Mis ...

as Oxford College. It has close links to the

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT; ) is the largest Protestant Christian denomination based in Taiwan. The PCT is a member of the World Council of Churches, and its flag features a "burning bush", which signifies the concept of burning y ...

, and is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Taiwan.

History

In 1872, Dr.

, a missionary from the

Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...

, designed and supervised the construction of the original school building. He named it "Oxford College" as a gesture of thanks to the residents of Oxford County in

Ontario, Canada Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, who had made financial donations. It was completed in 1882. The curriculum included courses in theology, Bible studies, sociology, logic, classical Chinese literature, Chinese history, natural sciences, and basic medicine, anatomy, and clinical practices. Oxford College was an early example of western-style institution and general education in Taiwan. The Northern Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was the founder of the later university, which the group planned in 1959 to establish at the location of Oxford College. In August 1965, the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

gave approval for the Tamsui Institute of Industrial & Business Administration. In April 1971, its name was changed to Tamsui Oxford College. In 1991, 18.8 hectares of land was purchased to create a branch school in Matou, Tainan county. The school received permission to become a four-year college called the Tamsui Oxford University College in August 1994. The Matou branch began accepting students, with an emphasis on two-year technical education, in February 1997. In August 1999, the school was renamed Aletheia University, after the Greek word for ''truth''. As of 2023, the university has 22 departments and offers nine vocational Bachelor's programs and eight Master's programs. They are organized into five colleges including Humanities, Finance and Economics, Management, "Tourism, Leisure, and Sports", and Information Sciences and Business Intelligence.

Notable alumni

Emerson Tsai Emerson Tsai (; born 2 August 1988) is a Taiwanese actor, television host and singer. He appeared on the third season of singing competition television series '' Super Idol'' in 2009, and came in eighth place. In 2010, Tsai made his acting debu ...

, actor, television host and singer *

Queenie Tai Queenie Tai () is a Taiwanese actress. Filmography Film Television series Personal life On 30 June 2012, Tai married . References External links * * 1982 births 21st-century Taiwanese actresses Actresses from Taipei Living pe ...

, actress

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1999 establishments in Taiwan Universities and colleges established in 1999 Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia Private universities and colleges in Taiwan Universities and colleges in New Taipei Presbyterianism in Taiwan National monuments of Taiwan Comprehensive universities in Taiwan

History

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links