MCU was founded by Pao Teh-Ming (包德明) and her husband Lee Ying-Chao. The university was named after the progressive Qing Dynasty governor of Taiwan Liu Mingchuan.
MCU is the first university in Asia to receive accreditation from the United States of America by the MSCHE, and it is also the only university in Taiwan with such accreditation.[4] The university is accredited by AACSB.[5] MCU was ranked 551-600 in QS Asia Universities Ranking 2023 [6] and positioned 1501+ in 2023 by Times Higher Education ranking.[7]The discipline of Hospitality & Tourism Management ranks 51-75 in the ARWU, with Taiwan's top university in this field.[8]
History
Ming Chuan University was founded in 1957 by Dr. Teh-Ming Pao and Dr. Ying-Chao Lee. It was Taiwan's first women's business school (women's college). Dr. Teh-Ming Pao, its first president, had the most significant influence on its development. When the government had just moved to Taiwan and the economy was lagging, with an urgent need to nurture business professionals, Dr. Pao founded the school in the interests of national development, at the same time raising awareness of the talents and rights of women and facilitating their contributions to society. She began preparations in Fall 1956 and on March 25, 1957, the Ministry of Education approved its founding. It began operation the following Fall.
Taipei Campus
The original plan called for Ming Chuan to be located in Danshui. However, a descendant of Liu Ming-Chuan, Madam Liu, was having difficulty maintaining Ming Chuan Orphanage that she had established on Zhong-Shan North Road. She found Dr. Pao willing to take over Ming Chuan Orphanage, which was later converted into the school of the same name. In five years following its establishment the school was twice moved and rebuilt, finally being relocated to its present site in the Shihlin District in 1962. Dr. Pao borrowed funds so that construction could be completed all at once.
Since MCU began as a commercial college, the original three-year day school consisted of three programs: Banking and Insurance, Accounting and Statistics, and International Trade and Business Administration. In 1960, Secretarial Science was added and Ming Chuan became part of the national junior college joint entrance examination program. The former four departments were formed into an evening program added in 1963. In 1964, the day school added a Commercial Mathematics department and Secretarial Science was added to the evening program. A five-year program for junior high school graduates was established in the same year and grew to an enrollment of 1400. The Ministry of Education of the ROC promoted Ming Chuan to senior college status on July 16, 1990.
Jihe Campus
After more than 30 years of development, Ming Chuan's campus on Mount Fu was full to capacity. In 1967, the school purchased gently sloping ground in Guishan Township (now Guishan District) of Taoyuan County (now Taoyuan City).
In 1995, at the invitation of the Kinmen County Education Advancement Investigation Team, Ming Chuan established a campus in Kinmen, thus becoming a comprehensive university with three campuses. Success at Kinmen led the Ministry of Education to approve MCU's establishment of Matsu Executive Master's Programs to promote higher education in Kinmen and Matsu and further Pao's dream “to serve the island residents”,[9] recognizing the right of all to an education.
In 2011, the university began holding an annual International Student Paper Competition sponsored by Taiwan ICDF, and finalist papers are published in the Journal of International Cooperation.[10]
With the introduction of ICDF (International Corporation and Development Fund) scholarships, the university has become known for its large international population. Ming Chuan opened its Michigan Campus at Saginaw Valley State University in 2014.[11]
The university flag, like the flag of Taiwan, is red, white, and blue. The emblem follows the color of the flag, with an ascending eagle and three curved figures from the bottom to the top.[12]
Plum-blossom examination seating arrangement
First introduced during the women's business school period, this system is characterized by uniform examination schedules throughout the entire school. Exam information is uniformly released by the school and seat assignments are randomized. Each pair of adjacent students takes different subjects in the examination. Any student caught cheating during the exam is subject to expulsion according to regulations. [13]
All pass Candies
This activity is one of the traditions at MCU. Seniors traditionally give a small gift to their juniors before exams, wishing them success in their midterms and finals.[14]
In 1979, Dr. Teh-Ming Pao established the MCU women's football team. It was a core known as the "Mulan" in the ROC women's national football team at that time. The team having won three championships in the AFC Women's Asian Cup during the 1970s. Influenced by this, the unofficial women's football world championship was held in Taiwan in 1981, and it is regarded as a motivating factor for the establishment of the Germany women's national football team.[18][19]
MCU collaborates with overseas universities such as the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and SANNO University. They have established international education centers in Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and other locations. The university also collaborates with some Chinese universities to establish colleges locally, including the establishment of the Ocean College in collaboration with Fuzhou University, the Liu Mingchuan College in collaboration with Hefei Normal University, and the Straits School of Business and Trade in collaboration with Xiamen University of Technology.[2]
International College at MCU is the first institution in Taiwan offering degrees through classes conducted completely in English.[2]
MCU is the first university in Asia to receive accreditation from the United States (MSCHE), and it is also the only university in Taiwan with such accreditation.[4]
