The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) is aiming to expand by 50% over the next ten years after receiving permission to recruit students from the mainland.
According to the rector, Reverend Professor Stephen Morgan, the international university expects to see some mainland students joining them in the second semester, as USJ also focuses on recruitment for the following academic year.
“The permission came too late for us to recruit for this year. We may have some students joining us in the second semester, but we’re focusing very hard upon recruiting for the programs that we have permission to recruit for,” the rector told the Times on the sidelines of the university’s 25th anniversary yesterday.
“We are finding ourselves almost bowled over by the number and quality of people asking to come to us,” he added.
Rev. Morgan said that USJ expects to take on a considerable number of and high-caliber students. He believes that the university will be able to demonstrate to the Central Government that for mainland students to be allowed to study at USJ is in their own interest and in the interest of China.
“It’s a great responsibility to be the only Catholic university in China. It’s a great responsibility to be a genuinely international university. We’ve had students from over 60 different countries in this university over the past 25 years,” the rector recalled.
Commenting on the university’s contribution to the development of the Greater Bay Area, Rev. Morgan said that by concentrating on the university’s position in Macau and the GBA, and by building close relationships in higher education institutions and commercial organizations within the GBA, USJ can continue to “play a role that is much larger than our size. We are a small university but I think we truly punch above our weight where that’s concerned.”
“At this time of Covid, when people are often drawing their boundaries in, rather than looking at the world, I think we have a very important role to play, here in Macau, in GBA and in China,” he added.
USJ celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday with a ceremony at their Ilha Verde campus. The USJ Donors Wall and Confucius Garden were inaugurated in commemoration of the anniversary.
USJ was first founded as the Inter University Institute of Macau, changing its name to the University of Saint Joseph in 2009.
As to drawing future plans for the university, the rector said he feels humbled to have been given the opportunity to “take command of a ship that has been sailing for 25 years.”
The rector also briefly announced that it is working on new course offerings, particularly in the masters and doctorate levels. Staff Reporter
