The Department of Social Work had launched to separated form the Department of Sociology since 11, 12 years ago. With the hardworking of four deans of the department, the department had finally been established successfully by an “Adjustment Program” rather than a “Newly Development Program,” while the fund and quota of professors didn’t increase. When we look back the history of the establishing of this department, we would find it full of difficulties and challenge. Early in the 1997, we had applied for the establishment, but the proposal was tabled by the Executive Yuan and then during the next three years, we had kept applying, and all the proposals were end rejected or tabled whether by the school or the Education Department. We didn’t succeed until year 2001 and Dr. Feng-Yen had been the convener of the preparing committee.

The Department of Social Work had been allowed to establish in 2001 and been established officially on August 2, 2002. During this period of time, the professors had started a series of highly concentrated council to prepare for the establishment, including the three teams which are responsible for all the “basic construction” of establishing a new department. For example, the Academic Development Team is responsible for the curriculum and the establishment of the PHD curriculum (at first Professor Yu Hon-yei was the convener, but Pro. Lin Wan-I replaced her.) Professor Wang, Lih-rong took charge of the plan of the establishment of the EMSW (Executive Master of Social Work) when Pro. Chin, Wen-li was taking care of the details of the space distribution with the Department of Sociology because we shared the same building. Every full-time professor spent a lot of time and contributed much effort to help with the establishment besides their academic work. To advertise for recruiting freshmen, Pro. Yang, Pei-shan and Pro. Wang, Yun-tung also devoted them to the production of the advertisement short film.

During the period of preparation, we elected officially our first dean of Department of Social Work on Jun 20th, 2002. Before the election, we also discussed that the dean should whether be assigned or be elected. Finally we decided through a democratic procedure to choose a dean of the department by an election. After this, Dr. Feng, Yen had been elected to be the first dean of the Department of Social Work with 8 votes. Although there was no passion of competition during the entire process, Professor Feng had brought up three main goals of development in the future, which are academicalization(?), professionalization and internationalization, and her other ideas, including the establishment of an Academic Research Center also received a lot of reverberation.

The Department of Social Work in National Taiwan University finally established officially after an 11, 12-year-long hardworking. At first we were the Subdivision of the Department of Sociology which was established in 1960, belonging to the College of Social Science. In 1973, we started to teach separately and started to enroll new student respectively in 1981, making the development of Social Work Subdivision more complete. And since 2002, the Social Work Group became the Department of Social Work officially.