College History
Farm Road Period (1956 - 1973)

Thanks to the backing of the Ford Foundation, the first phase of the new campus was built, and the College moved in it in July 1956. The campus covered an area of more than 40,000 square feet. One of the school buildings was a five-storey block with classrooms, a laboratory, a temporary auditorium, and student dormitories. The other block was a library with reserve stacks, a reading room, and offices. The third block was a round pavilion with lecture rooms and classrooms for natural sciences.

 

In 1957, an art-specialized programme was set up. It was then funded by the Yale-in-China Association to establish an Arts Department in 1959. In 1958, the Yale-in-China representative in New Asia, Rev. Dr. Sidney Lovett, promoted the formation of The Faculty of Science. In 1960, the Departments of Mathematics and of Biology were formed, followed by the Department of Physics, and the Department of Chemistry the next year.

 

In the autumn of 1959, the title “College Head” was renamed as “College President”. In the same year, the College accepted a proposal from the Hong Kong Government to become a post-secondary institution. It also started receiving government subsidies, and admitted applicants with the Joint Certificate of Education Examination.

 

The second and the third phases of Farm Road campus were completed in 1963, including a six-storey teaching block and an auditorium. All construction costs were financed by the Yale-in-China Association and the Hong Kong government. The facilities and organisation of New Asia College gradually became comprehensive at that time. The Faculty of Arts consisted of the Departments of Chinese Literature, History, Philosophy, English Language and Literature, and Fine Arts; the Faculty of Science, the Departments of Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry; the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, the Departments of Economics, Accounting and Finance, Business Administration, Journalism, and Sociology. There were a total of fourteen departments in the three faculties. In the same year, the College co-organised the Chinese Language Center with the Yale-in-China Association.

 

In 1963, the Chinese University of Hong Kong was founded, and New Asia College became one of the constituent colleges.