CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

Our First Student Cohort

In front of me stands the architect's model of the new college building. My gaze falls on the common room at the end of the corridor. I look closer, zooming in, imagining a vision of our future students.

It is a breezy autumn night at CW Chu College. The lights from across the harbour sparkle faintly far out beyond the great windows. Five students, looking comfortably at-home, are casually gathered here as they often are. Sometimes they continue a discussion begun during a communal dinner. Other times, they chat over coffee or tea after a long, exhausting day.

This time, Amaya, meaning "night rain" in Japanese, is showing her friends a manga cartoon she has drawn. She grew up in Hong Kong and decided to continue university education here because she wanted to be near her parents. She is interested in the humanities and likes interacting with the diverse range of people enlivening this metropolis of many cultures.

Po-Hung seems like a typical local Cantonese fellow. He is just back from helping out at a local orphanage. At first, he had focused solely on academic achievement and enjoying the luxury of four-year residency in the College. Since joining CW Chu College, he has found intellectual fulfillment and the joy of pursuing knowledge beyond the classroom walls.

Everybody likes Jonas and his German-accented way with words. From him, they have learned some French, Italian, and of course, Deustch. His hometown university has a history of 600 years; yet, Jonas would rather be at CW Chu College. He always says, "It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a founding student in a new college in a great university."

Yvonne is an exchange student from University of California at Berkeley. When she was in high school, she was fascinated by her pen pal's description of this "pearl of the orient", which is so different from American cities. CW Chu College provides an additional attraction to her because it seems a new, international variation on the traditions of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

From the rural banks of the Heilong River not far from Harbin, China, Zhiyun has somehow made it as far south as the Pearl River delta. This seaside city offers him much that he had never thought of. He is the Vice Chairperson of the Student Honour Code Committee. This student organization of self-governance and self-discipline gives him a wonderful practical grasp of law and justice, discipline and order, honour and grace.

My vision is of a unique place filled with thoughtful and engaged young people, who forge strong bonds amongst themselves with relationships of mutual trust. Together, they nourish a global perspective and cherish social involvement.

Gazing at the concrete lines and shapes of the architectural model, I eagerly anticipate the day when our college hall will be brought to life by students from all over the world.

This vision reflects the guiding principle of our student recruitment. It would be wonderful if our prospective students made their college choice with a thorough understanding of the educational environment of our college. In every way, we promote the ideal of intimate interaction amidst an international cultural setting. We proclaim the importance of both intellectual development and constructive social involvement. To help prospective students learn about this, we have introduced the benefits of the college in our web pages, newsletters, exhibitions, posters and brochures, public talks, school visits, and P2P communication.

At the same time, we realize that the first and main consideration of most students has to do with their academic studies. Thus, we will work with academic programmes, departments, and faculties to enhance the learning environment. In addition to the benefits of 4-year residence on campus, we will offer admission scholarships to talented students identified by academic units. Further, we will guide students toward the ample opportunities for international student exchange and mentorship, in part, by Chu Scholars. And, we will foster character through participation in our unique honour code and a sense of responsibility and generosity nurtured through service-learning activities.

In the coming months, we will reach out to different groups of students, from far to near, from overseas to local, from greater China to Hong Kong. There will be challenges. Nevertheless, we are confident that, come September, 75 young women and men will toast with us the future of CW Chu College.

Thomas KK Au

Chair

Committee on Admission, Scholarship and Financial Aid