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Our
Heritage, Our Present, Our Future
The College is the much cherished realization of a dream held
by local and international chapters of the alumni associations
of the former St. John's University in Shanghai to revive
the spirit of their alma mater and perpetuate the SJU motto
"Light and Truth", underscoring the values of honesty, generosity,
justice and integrity in serving society.St. John's
University was founded by the Episcopal Church of America
in Shanghai in 1879 and was operational until 1952. St. John's
University had a renowned international reputation as one
of the most prestigious and influential universities in China.
Today, its alumni can be found in key posts on both sides
of the Taiwan Strait, in Hong Kong, Singapore, and on every
continent. The establishment of the St. John's College at
the University of British Columbia marks the realization of
this dream after a lapse of 44 years.
St. John's College
University of British Columbia
Our
Roots
St. John's College UBC is a graduate residential college
committed to enhancing the intellectual and cultural life
of graduate students at UBC, and to deepening the understanding
and practice of multicultural education and international
understanding within the university and the larger community
of which it is a part. The College is home to 150 graduate
students in all faculties and departments across the University,
as well to a dozen postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and
visiting scholars.
St. John's College was founded in 1997 with the support of
alumni of St. John's University in Shanghai, China. The original
St. John's University was established by the Protestant Episcopal
Church of America in 1879, and closed in 1952. The alumni
of the University, Johanneans as they are known, have continued
to cherish the memory of the academic and moral education
they received in Shanghai, which nurtured respect for both
Christian and Confucian values. These values are reflected
in the original English motto of St. John's, "Light and
Truth", and the Chinese motto, taken from Confucius,
"Learning without thinking is labor lost, thinking without
learning is perilous." Both expressions are embodied
in the emblem of the former University.
During their first world reunion in 1988, the Johanneans
vowed continue and perpetuate the spirit of St. John's by
launching new educational initiatives and, if circumstances
permit, re-establishing their alma mater. This common vision
had previously motivated the founding of St. John's and St.
Mary's Institute of Technology in Taiwan in 1965 and the setting
up of several training programs in China. It subsequently
led to the establishment of St. John's College at the University
of British Columbia in 1997.
The Johanneans have made a strong commitment to keep the
spirit of St. John's alive by continuing to provide educational
opportunities and support for as many worthy students as possible
in these affiliated St. John's establishments, in the hope
that these students may become better aware of their duty
to serve the needs of their home communities, including China,
as well as the global community. They aspire to nurture new
generations of Johanneans who will benefit from the opportunities
for personal advancement and academic training that embody
the legacy of their alma mater, who will join with them in
friendship, fraternity and fellowship, and who will share
their knowledge and experience in turn with the generations
of students who come after them.
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