MingDao University

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

MingDao University - Wikipedia

Coordinates: 23°52′14″N 120°29′42″E / 23.8705°N 120.4949°E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MingDao University
明道大學

Motto	明善誠身^[1]
Motto in English	Wisdom, Virtue, Honesty, Progress^[2]
Type	Private
Active	2001–1 August 2024
Address	Pitou, Changhua County, Taiwan 23°52′14″N 120°29′42″E / 23.8705°N 120.4949°E / 23.8705; 120.4949
Website	Official website

MingDao University

Traditional Chinese

明道大學

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Míngdào Dàxué
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Bêng-tō Tāi-ha̍k

MingDao University (MDU; Chinese: 明道大學; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bêng-tō Tāi-ha̍k) was a private university located in Pitou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan.

MingDao's specialized areas of research include renewable energy engineering^[3] (especially solar,^[4] wind,^[5] and hydrogen^[6]), and its Department of Post Modern Agriculture is active in the promotion of organic agriculture across East and Southeast Asia.^[7] The university's motto is "Wisdom, Virtue, Honesty, Progress."^[2]

History

The institution was founded as the MingDao School of Management in 2001, and was accorded university status by the Ministry of Education (ROC) in 2007. In 2020, the university had an enrollment rate of less than 60%.^[8] It is scheduled to shut down on July 31, 2024.^[9] On 1 August 2024, the university stopped its operation.^[10]

Faculties

College of Applied Science
College of Design
College of Hospitality and Tourism Management
College of Humanities
College of Management^[11]

Centers and Institutes

International student exploitation

In November 2018 it was reported in Eswatini that Mingdao University tricked more than 40 Eswatini students in working full five-day shifts in a chicken processing plant.^[12]^[13]

MingDao University recruited over 40 students from Eswatini to take part in a work-study program.^[14] The program, advertised in June 2018, was called the "Taiwan Work/Study Scholarship" and offered applicants "hands-on practical and work experience" while earning a Bachelor's in Business Administration. The advertisement claimed each student would earn a monthly wage that would cover tuition, accommodation, insurance, and other fees while still leaving 3,000 Swazi lilangeni (US$167) a month to spare for extra spending money.

Once the students began the college program in Changhua County's Pitou Township, they were shocked to realize they were being sent to a freezing factory with temperatures hovering below 10 degrees Celsius to peel chicken skin. One student likened the situation to "slavery", alleging they could not simply leave since the university would punish those remaining behind.^[14] What they encountered in Taiwan was reminiscent of the case of over 40 Sri Lankan students from Kang Ning University who were duped into working in a slaughterhouse.

Yu Jung-hui (尤榮輝), chairman of the Union of Private School Educators (UPRISE), said that the students were used for "slave labor" and that MingDao University is "almost an international fraud" and called for an investigation.^[15]