Hong Kong alumni of the University of Southern California (USC) have welcomed news of the privately-funded institution being named as College of the Year by Time magazine and The Princeton Review .
'I have been receiving so many e- mails and telephone calls since the local alumni were given the good news,' Christina Tung, director of USC's Hong Kong regional office, said.
'They feel so excited about this honour and proud of being a member of the Trojan family.' Located in an underprivileged Los Angeles neighbourhood, USC has engaged in what Time called 'one of the most ambitious social-outreach programmes of any university in the [United States]'.
According to the magazine, most USC undergraduates perform voluntary work in the community and more than 10 per cent take service projects as part of their study courses.
USC Hong Kong Alumni Association president, Lily Chiang, said: 'I think they really deserve it.
Located in an urban area, it's really 'everybody's' college. USC has been very active in promoting and encouraging different kinds of cultural and social events - both within the school and blending in with the community.' Hsin Chong Land managing director Robert Shum received a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from USC.
