USF Expanding Base in Asia
During a two-week trip to Asia this month, University of San Francisco President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. will sign agreements with universities in Singapore and Japan to expand USF’s curriculum there and pave the way for more student exchange opportunities.
On his first stop in a six-city tour that includes Hong Kong, the Philippine capital of Manila, Tokyo, and Seoul, South Korea, Fr. Privett will sign an agreement with Singapore’s Center for American Education (CAE) to offer a master’s in financial analysis. The master’s program, started last year in San Francisco, is also being offered at Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand. USF provides curriculum and staff for the two-year program while the partner schools host and provide logistical help.
“We are delighted that Singapore will be one of the first overseas locations in which we will be offering the master’s in financial analysis,” said Stanley Nel, vice president of international relations. “We also look forward to welcoming more of their undergraduates to USF to complete the studies they will have started at CAE.”
Fr. Privett will also sign a partnership agreement with Sacred Heart Senmongakko, a women’s college in Tokyo, to provide student exchange opportunities. The school takes approximately 20 of its students to the United States for an English language immersion program every year and they have been invited to make USF their primary stop.
“As a Jesuit institution, we have had experience in educating many graduates of Sacred Heart schools, and we have great admiration for their educational philosophy,” Nel said. “We hope this is the beginning of a wider relationship with more of their schools in Japan.”
Fr. Privett, Nel, and University Advancement staff will also meet with alumni in Asia to help shore up the university’s base there. The group will host receptions with prospective students and alumni in Manila, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul.
“We have 1,500 alumni living in the Pacific Rim so it makes sense to reach out to them,” said Maureen Atkins, assistant director of alumni relations. “We’re hoping to further engage them.” USF has alumni groups of about 350 each in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Taipei in Taiwan. Approximately 250 alumni live in Manila and two chapters of 150 alumni each are active in Seoul and Bangkok.
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