The First Asian University Accredited by U.S. Last year (2009), MCU passed the accreditation of HEEACT (Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan) and was ranked as the top university in northern Taiwan. This year, the university strives to reach a new pinnacle of higher education – the MSCHE (Middle States Commission on Higher Education) accreditation, which will crown the university with the first U.S.-accredited institution of higher education in Asia. President Lee is known for visionary and proactive in winning international recognition in higher education. With his leadership, the Steering Committee for overseas Accreditation was given birth and a successful MSCHE accreditation process was achieved in 5-6 years of endeavor. So far, MCU has passed the first two phases: I – Eligibility Requirements and II – Self-Assessment. The upcoming challenge is a site visit on the Self-Study Report. , the last task of phase III – Self-Study. The visit will be university-wide, which comes after a timely submission of the Self-Study Report in August 2010. Totally, five MSCHE members will visit MCU September. 25 – October.1, 2010. The team members are individually responsible for specific evaluation standards, based on their backgrounds and expertise. 1) Dr. David F. Turk, the team chair, serves as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of Nyack College in New York and is responsible for reviewing Standard 1. Mission, Goals, and Objectives and 10. Faculty. 2) Ms. Robin Beads works as Assistant Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, American University, D.C. She will examine issues regarding Standard 2. Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal, 7. Institutional Assessment and 14. Assessment of Student Learning. 3) Ms. Charling Chang Fagan serves in Sarah Lawrence College, Bronsville, NY and heads the Libraries & Academic Computing. She covers Standard 11. Educational Offerings, 12. General Education, and 13. Related Educational Activities. 4) Mr. Michael Frantz is the Vice President for Enrollment Management of Robert Morris University, located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. He will look into Standard 6. Integrity (academic & intellectual freedom), 8. Student Admissions, and 9. Student Support Services. 5) Mr. William Scott, the Vice President of Finance and Administration Richmond for the American University, in London, England, will focus on Standard 3. Institutional Resources, 4. Leadership and Governance, and 5. Administration. Faculty, staff and students of MCU are encouraged to thoroughly study the Self-Study Report. The interviewees will be equipped with fluent and professional English communication skills for power-point presentations and responding to the interviewers’ questions. Those who are interested in the Self-Study Report may access the document in the Moodle System by clicking the icon of “MCU Moodle other,” lower-left corner of the webpage. All MCU family members are important to the success of the team visit. May we all take heart and work as a team to make this comprehensive visit a successful one and to make MCU the first U.S. – accredited university in Asia. by Carol Song