About 400 students newly enrolled at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) attended the College Orientation Ceremony on 23 August 2016. They were greeted by the Dean, the Associate and Assistant Deans and the Department Heads of CLASS.

In his welcoming address, Professor Xiaowei ZANG, the Dean of CLASS, assured the freshers that the College and its departments, in addition to the University as a whole, would help them achieve their hopes and dreams. “In choosing CLASS for your university education, you have made one of the best choices of your life,” said Professor Zang to the new students. “In the last 32 years, we have been committed to building a community at CityU in which people are valued, academic excellence and community engagement are ceaselessly pursued and teaching is prioritised.”

Dr Peppina LEE, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Curriculum), introduced the new students to the University and College’s requirements in the four-year curriculum with an emphasis on the Discovery-enriched curriculum. Dr Lee encouraged the new students to equip themselves with the necessary skills for university study. In the coming semester, the College will hold a lecture on scholarly writing and academic honesty for all undergraduate students at CLASS.

Professor Hon CHAN, Assistant Dean (Internationalisation), introduced the freshers to a range of internationalisation activities, such as international exchanges, cultural and language immersion, professional internships and overseas summer schools, offered to undergraduate students by the College. The College is active in cultivating new links with institutions around the globe to provide students with more opportunities to study abroad and explore the world.

Miss Andrea CHAN, a Year 4 student in the Department of English, shared her wonderful learning experiences at Boston University in the US and Swansea University in the UK. The freshers were inspired and impressed by the opportunities for learning and personal development Andrea gained while participating in overseas summer schools and student-exchange programmes.

The new students remarked that the orientation has given them valuable information about university life at CityU, and they are grateful for the good advice provided by the professors.

Departmental orientation activities were held on the same day. The new students met the faculty, staff and students in their home departments and were briefed on the services available in their departments, the courses available and the requirements of specific programmes.

Cover photo: A diversified student body in CLASS.

Photo 2: The College management and Department Heads greeted the new students at the College Orientation Ceremony.

Photo 3: The freshers were grateful for the valuable advice given in the presentations.