College to help foster knowledge-based society

Ready as always to aid the people of Hong Kong, CityU is working hard to establish a community college that will help meet the expected boom in tertiary students over the next decade. Universities today face a number of challenges. Changing societal needs, rising expectations about education, economic developments, and technological advances all help shape the role of academic institutions.

The new institution will aid the Hong Kong government's ambitious plan to foster a culture of learning in this increasingly knowledge-based world. The government has called on academic institutions to boost the number of tertiary places in the region to 60% of the secondary students population over the next 10 years.

 

 

"The community college we are planning to set up is one way we can contribute,"said CityU President, Professor H K Chang. "Our community college, now under vigorous planning, will be built on a solid foundation. What we need for expansion is some capital fund for new buildings and the like. Given enough additional resources, our new academic entity will flourish.& acute; The proposed college will offer associate degrees and foundation or remedial courses. The college will also offer part-time, self-financed bachelor's degree articulation for associate degree graduates. In keeping with the trend towards more self-financed programmes, it has been suggested that the new college emphasize self-funded degree programmes.

CityU is no stranger to pre-university level courses. Indeed, the University holds the distinction of offering the longest continually run programme for higher diplomas in the region. Last April, CityU introduced its two-year associate degree programme to replace the older three-year higher diploma programmes. The University Grants Committee has approved, for the 2001-2004 triennium, an annual quota 4,725 funded places at the associate degree level.. With little marginal cost, the University aims to increase this to 6,000 and more.

 

 

The Campus Planning Office (CP) is particularly interested in following the fortunes of the community college. Arthur Leung, CP Director, said his office is looking at integrating the college within the overall campus re-planning scheme, which includes construction of the proposed Landmark Building and redevelopment of the senior staff quarters.