TAIPEI (TVBS News) — After 23 years of operation, Taiwan's Mingdao University (明道大學) is closing due to a declining birth rate and will cease operations on July 31, 2024. The university's final graduation ceremony is slated for June 22. Struggling with financial issues, Mingdao University was unable to meet improvement deadlines set for 2023, prompting the Ministry of Education to stop its recruitment efforts this year.
Mingdao University will host a farewell graduation ceremony from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 22 to mark its closure. A fireworks display, lasting 6 minutes and 22 seconds, will follow at 7:15 p.m. over Beauty Lake (蠡澤湖) on campus. The event may be canceled in the event of a heavy thunderstorm.
The evening will conclude with an appreciation banquet and the premiere of a documentary about the university's history from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Liberty Times (自由時報) reports that thousands of alumni are expected to attend. Funding for the ceremony has been secured by the alumni association and student union. Some alumni plan to spend their last night camping on the university grounds.