Aletheia University (after

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece 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 ...

ἀλήθεια ''Aletheia'' or Alethia (; grc, ἀλήθεια) is truth or disclosure in philosophy. Originating in Ancient Greek philosophy, the term was later used in the works of 20th-century philosopher Martin Heidegger. Although often translated as " ...

, 'truth') () is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Dep ...

Tamsui Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popul ...

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...

and Madou,

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. 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

Dr.

, a missionary from the Presbyterian Church in Canada, worked in evangelism, education, publishing and medicine after arriving in Tamsui in 1872 ( during Qing rule). Soon after arriving Mackay chose a piece of land on a hilltop in the ''Pao-tai-pu'' () area of Tamsui, planned the design of the main building and personally supervised its construction. When the building, funded in large part by contributions from the residents of Oxford County in

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, was completed in 1882, he named the school Oxford College as a gesture of thanks to its benefactors. The original Chinese name of the school meant "The Hall of Reason of the University." The original

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

included courses in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, Bible studies and

reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

as well as

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

Classical Chinese literature Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucia ...

, Chinese history, the

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

and general courses in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

, and

clinical practice Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

. The school marked the beginning of

general education General Education is a 2012 comedy film, directed by Tom Morris, starring Chris Sheffield, Maiara Walsh, Elaine Hendrix, Bobby Campo, Janeane Garofalo and Larry Miller and produced by Pelican House Productions. The film was shot in Chico and G ...

curricula in Taiwan and is today Taiwan's institution of higher learning. Since 1994 the school has operated as a four-year independent college. Initially designated Tamsui Oxford University College, the school opened a branch campus in Madou, Tainan County in 1996 offering two-year and four-year college education. The school has borne the name Aletheia University, after the Greek word for ''truth'', since August 1999. The original "Oxford College" building on campus is now a historical museum with artifacts from the Mackay era. The university comprises eight colleges: Humanities, Mathematics, Finance, Management, Tourism, Languages, Knowledge Economics, and Sports Knowledge. Four graduate programs are offered in Humanistic Studies, Mathematical Science, Management Science, and Finance & Economics.

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 Educational institutions 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 Universities and colleges in Taiwan Comprehensive universities in Taiwan

History

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links