The Hong Kong Chief Executive in Council on Tuesday approved Hong Kong Shue Yan College's application to change its name to Hong Kong Shue Yan University.

 

Hong Kong Secretary for Education and Manpower, Arthur K C Li, said the upgrading of the college to the first private university in Hong Kong was recognition of its efforts, dedication and contribution to the higher education sector over the past 35 years.

 

"The development of private universities adds diversity to our higher education system and provides a channel for all sectors of the society to contribute resources and efforts for the benefit of students," Li said. "Such development is conducive to upgrading our human capital and enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in a knowledge-based economy."

 

To assess the readiness of the learning institute for upgrading to a private university the college invited the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA) to undertake an Institutional College Review in 2006. The HKCAA concluded that the college had, in overall terms, established an appropriate academic environment which merited the granting of university status.

 

The college has attained Program Area Accreditation Status for its Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce disciplines. For the purpose of quality assurance external reviews will be conducted on the relevant program areas at five-yearly intervals.

 

Hong Kong Shue Yan College was established in 1971 as a private, liberal arts college and was registered under the Post-Secondary Colleges Ordinance in 1976. It has been offering a total of 10 four-year honors degree courses since the 2001/02 academic year. All of these have been accredited by HKCAA and approved by the Chief Executive in Council.

 

More than 23,000 students have graduated from the college. It currently has a student population of more than 3,000.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2006)