History
Dr. George Leslie Mackay, a missionary from the Canada Presbyterian Church (predecessor of The Presbyterian Church in Canada), accomplished remarkable work in evangelism, education, publishing and medicine after arriving in Tamsui in 1872. 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, 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 included courses in theology, Bible studies and reason as well as sociology, logic, Classical Chinese literature, Chinese history, the natural sciences and general courses in medicine, anatomy, and clinical practice. The school marked the beginning of general education curricula in Taiwan and is today Taiwan's oldest 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 Matou, 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 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.
Read more about this topic: Aletheia University
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