To whom it may concern :

We, the undersigned, have learned the regretful fact that the administration of Shih-Hsin University has pushed through a resolution on January 2, 2019 to stop student enrollment at its Graduate Institute for Social Transformation Studies (GISTS) from 2020 on. We have also learned that this decision was made without prior consultation with the affected faculty and students, in violation with all democratic principles. We strongly oppose this decision, and we call upon all responsible authorities to annul it.

The existence of GISTS does not concern only the rights of this group of faculty and students. Throughout the past 22 years of its existence, GISTS has always stood on the forefront against any injustice. With it out of the way, we are worried that other departments and programs at Shih-Hsin University will be further exposed to the whim of an increasingly authoritarian administration and faced with closing, cutbacks, and other attacks. The fact that the SHU administration used “decreasing number of school-age population” as an excuse to close down GISTS reflects a wider problem faced by all members of university faculty and staff throughout Taiwan. While decreasing school-age population in the whole country is a fact, measures taken by university administrations in reaction to this fact are often taken callously, without any regard to fairness, due process, and the wills of student and faculty about future development of their programs. “Autonomy of university,” the principle enshrined in the University Act to protect academic freedom, is now distorted by some university provosts and officials as their own unstrained prerogatives to eliminate whatever departments and programs they dislike.

Therefore, we strongly advocate that autonomy of university has to build on the solid foundation of democracy on university campus. And democracy on campus has to build on the solid foundation of freedom of expression and thorough communication amongst members of the university. Otherwise, higher education will degenerate into a plaything of powers that be.

Although students and faculty of GISTS has petitioned to the Ministry of Education about their concern about the possible closing decision on December 28, 2018, the Shih-Hsin University administration was unheeded. During Taiwan’s long 36 years of martial-law rule, SHU had been a proud safe haven for dissent intellectuals persecuted by the authoritarian government. It had also published the highly acclaimed daily newspaper Lih Pao and the Pots Weekly offering vital critical viewpoints during Taiwan’s democratic transition. The last words of SHU founder Cheng She-Wo was “I want to speak.” This has long served as the motto of the university and its graduates committed to journalistic freedom and courage to speak out against injustice. GISTS has long inherit this untamed yearning of Cheng She-Wo for a free and just society, and has consistently been unwavering in disclose problems both in the Taiwanese society and on campus. Unfortunately, the current SHU administration apparently has no desire to solve the disclosed problems, instead, it seeks to get rid of those who disclose the problems. This is a shameful betrayal of the spirit SHU has proudly inherited from its founder.

For the past two decades, GISTS has offered education emphasizing both theory and practice and cultivate activists with both historical vision and scholarly trainings. Its alumni have dedicated themselves to NGOs, trade unions, media, arts, and public services (as elected officials in parliament and local councils or as public servants in various government branches). They have committed themselves to the causes of labor rights, rural development, immigrant and migrant workers’ rights, environmental protection, gender and sexual equality, public health, theater arts, community adult education, documentary filmmaking, and a wide array of initiatives, contributing to the progress of the whole society in Taiwan. GISTS is also a leading institution in critical scholarship of humanity and social sciences, widely praised by the international academic community. It has long been a proud member of Civil-Society Education Network in Asia (CENA), acclaimed by its sister institutions in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.

For the above mentioned reasons, we strongly oppose the unlawful decision of Shih-Hsin University to close down the Graduate Institute for Social Transformation Studies. We stand by our Taiwanese colleagues and share their value in pursuit of justice and fairness in higher education. We cherish the GISTS in its long dedication in critical scholarship and education for the pursuit of a more just society. And we call upon all people who share our values to stand up and help to defend this institution.

In protest,

[name, title, affiliation , country]