History

St. John’s College was founded in 1997 with the support of the alumni of St. John’s University in Shanghai — the leading university in China devoted to bridging Chinese and Western knowledge until its closure in 1952 — SJC has inherited its proud traditions of cross cultural learning. The (residential) Junior Fellows practice these ideals of international and intercultural engagement in their intellectual pursuits as well as their daily lives at the College.

The original St. John’s University was established by the Protestant Episcopal Church of America in 1879, and closed in 1952. The alumni of the University, Johanneans as they are known (see Johannean Legacy), have continued to cherish the memory of the academic and moral education they received in Shanghai, which nurtured respect for both Christian and Confucian values. These values are reflected in the original English motto of St. John’s, “Light and Truth”, and the Chinese motto, taken from Confucius, “Learning without thinking is labor lost, thinking without learning is perilous.” Both expressions are embodied in the emblem of the former University.

During their first world reunion in 1988, the Johanneans vowed continue and perpetuate the spirit of St. John’s by launching new educational initiatives and, if circumstances permit, re-establishing their alma mater. This common vision had previously motivated the founding of St. John’s and St. Mary’s Institute of Technology in Taiwan in 1965 and the setting up of several training programs in China. It subsequently led to the establishment of St. John’s College at the University of British Columbia in 1997.

The Johanneans have made a strong commitment to keep the spirit of St. John’s alive by continuing to provide educational opportunities and support for as many worthy students as possible in these affiliated St. John’s establishments, in the hope that these students may become better aware of their duty to serve the needs of their home communities, including China, as well as the global community. They aspire to nurture new generations of Johanneans who will benefit from the opportunities for personal advancement and academic training that embody the legacy of their alma mater, who will join with them in friendship, fraternity and fellowship, and who will share their knowledge and experience in turn with the generations of students who come after them.