Graduates led by the St. John's University Alumni Association, Hong Kong, along with chapters in Taipei, Singapore, Vancouver and throughout North America, have collaborated with UBC to find a home for the college on the Point Grey campus.
Building on the success of UBC's first graduate college, Green College, St. John's will be a $16-million residential college for master's and PhD students, senior scholars and distinguished visitors.
A focus on internationalism is the unifying theme of the new college, which will sponsor or offer workshops, think tanks, seminars and small conferences focusing on international issues. The college will also complement UBC's new Liu Centre for International Studies.
The goal is to attract outstanding international students to create a true international community that will enhance understanding and result in a strong commitment to international co-operation.
"This international focus should help St. John's College capture the imagination of the university. It will build a group of alumni with the outlook and background needed to promote future international co-operation and linkages," said UBC President David Strangway.
When the first phase opens in September, 1997 with 33 students, it will, like its namesake, draw students from China, other parts of Asia, the West and around the world.
Two more phases are planned to house a total of 178 students by Sept. 1999, the 120th anniversary of the founding of the original St. John's University.
Established by American missionaries in 1879, St. John's University was one of China's great educational institutions for more than 70 years. Since the university closed its doors in 1952, St. John's graduates, known as Johanneans, have looked for an opportunity to rekindle the spirit of their alma mater and its motto, Light and Truth.
Although they still want to re-establish the university at its original site one day, Johanneans -- whose numbers include some of the most important leaders of government, industry, commerce and the media in East Asia and around the world -- welcome the opportunity to continue their traditions at UBC.
Among the reasons that UBC is an ideal location for the college are its status as one of the leading research universities on the continent, its strengths in teaching and research on Asia and Vancouver's strategic location as an international crossroads.
The college will be consistent with both the historical character of St. John's University and the future needs of UBC graduate students.
Student admission will be based on academic merit and the desire to reflect the global community in which students from different parts of the world will learn from each other in a collegial setting.
Places at the college will be reserved for visiting graduate students, exchange students and visiting scholars from other countries. Links will also be sought with undergraduates interested in international issues, for example, those enrolled in the International Relations program.
St. John's College UBC, will be financially self-sufficient. Construction will be funded by donations from Johanneans and other donors, and a mortgage taken out by the university. Student and resident fees will provide funds for operation, seminars and other activities of the college. An endowment will create scholarships.
UBC provided the one-hectare site for the college near the corner of University Boulevard and Lower Mall, at Gate 6. Symbolically, the site is near the Pacific Ocean facing Asia.