USJ appoints Stephen Morgan as new rector

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) has announced the appointment of Stephen Morgan, a Welsh deacon who has been a professor at the Catholic university since September 2018, as its next rector. The installation of the new rector is expected to take place in July.

The announcement came during a session of the General Council of the USJ held on Saturday, when Chancellor Stephen Lee Bun-sang announced that the University’s titleholder, the Catholic Foundation for Higher Education, intended to appoint Morgan as the university’s next rector. Morgan will take over from Professor Peter Stilwell, who has held the role since 2012.

During the General Council meeting, Stilwell presented data on the number of students and on the University’s accounts since 2012. Important documents were approved on academic staff progression and on the award of honorary doctorates.

In selecting Stilwell’s successor, the Catholic Foundation for Higher Education had consulted the members of the General Council and the deans of the academic units on the challenges that USJ faces and the desirable profile for its next rector. The answers were made available to the members of the Foundation.

According to a statement from the USJ, the criteria for Equivalence of Attendance in Online Modules were also reviewed and approved at the General Council meeting. Online learning has been implemented at the USJ since early February in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

In the statement, the USJ said it hoped “this challenging experience will eventually contribute to a lasting integration in Macau of novel and traditional [teaching] methods.”

DB