President Ma Ying-jeou took time out of his busy schedule to pay a visit to NTHU's former president Chun-shan Shen in the afternoon of February 27th. The President's visit stirred excitement in the peaceful housing compound on the west side of Tsing-Hua Campus and he was given a warm welcome by the University's faculty and their families.

In an emotional yet measured tone, President Ma recited a poem he wrote years ago to Shen on his leaving the post of Minister Without Portfolio at the Executive Yuan: Very quickly I come here with you; very quickly I saw you off. Ten months in government, genuine were the words of advice; never were you interested in politics careers. Wave good-bye and shake hands; you were as suave and elegant as in the old days. As I was still thinking of your strength and character; you were already far away!

President Ma said on his message board that he was hoping his recitation of this farewell poem would at least elicit some response from Shen who has been paralyzed by stokes. Dr. Shen blinked his eyes as if he was aware of the visit of his old friend. "My gut feeling tells me he is touched by the recitation," President Ma said gleefully.

President Ma noted that Shen was invited into the Executive Yuan and became Minister-Without-Portfolio in 1988, and he himself was Minister of the Research and Evaluation Commission in the same year. The two were good friends and had many opportunities to engage in in-depth discussions on policy-related topics.

President Ma also mentioned that Shen made tremendous contributions to our country; he had many creative ideas and a great vision for cross- Strait relations as well as the development of our democracy. While serving as President of NTHU, Shen successfully transformed the institution into one that is renowned for its liberal arts education and its excellence in research.

Long concerned about Shen's health and his recovery from stroke, President Ma was saddened to learn of Shen's third stroke and said he felt compelled to pay his old friend a special visit. He was relieved to see that the University has been very attentive in taking care of Dr. Shen. During his visit President Ma was also accompanied by NTHU President Lih J. Chen, Vice President Ming-chuen Yip, Hsinchu Mayor Ming-tsai Hsu, Legislator Hsueh-chang Lu, Hsinchu County Deputy Magistrate Yen-hsiang Chang, Ms. Cheng Chi and other dignitaries, who are equally eager to know the current status of Shen's recovery. The atmosphere at the visit was that of a reunion of old friends. When President Chen offered him a gift of his favorite Hsinchu peanut butter, President Ma joked, "I can't even hide my personal taste from you guys!"