CNews Issue 3, 2009

25 HKU & Community Q: What motivated you to sponsor the Distinguished Lecture Series in the Humanities? A: Professor Leo Lee is one of the most brilliant and original thinkers in Hong Kong today and his work has long been widely recognised in the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, and the United States as well as in Hong Kong. While his experience and outlook are thoroughly cosmopolitan, he is keenly aware of place and is truly able to put Hong Kong’s unique local condition in perspective. And I think the Distinguished Lecture Series is an ideal forum for Professor Lee to put forward his thought-provoking perspectives to the wider community. Q: Which aspects of Professor Lee’s lectures do you see as particularly engaging for global citizens in the 21st Century? A: The breadth of topics that Professor Lee will cover – from literature and film to philosophy, music and architecture – are inspiring. He is a master at drawing surprising, hidden connections among ideas and art forms. Q: What brought about the idea of the sponsorship for Critic-in-Residence programme? A: My experience as publisher convinced me that the city needs to cultivate more good arts critics who write in an intelligent way for a general audience. The main role of the Critic-in-Residence will be to teach students at JMSC about writing on arts and culture, with an emphasis on reviews and criticism. We hope that he or she can spark a discussion about the role and practice of arts criticism that will excite the city as a whole. Mr Frank Proctor, founder and publisher of Muse magazine, has been a long-time supporter of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre (JMSC). He provided practical support to establish the JMSC Young Journalist Scholarship Fund in 2003. In addition, his magazine offers internship and job opportunities to JMSC students and graduates. More recently, JMSC saw the establishment of the Muse Magazine Distinguished Lecture Series in the Humanities conducted by Professor Leo Lee 李歐梵教授 * and the Muse Magazine Critic-in-Residence Programme . Mr Proctor tells us more about these new initiatives: Mr Frank Proctor with a group of students who benefited from the JMSC Young Journalist Scholarship Fund. Professor Leo Lee conducted six lectures for the Muse Magazine Distinguished Lecture Series. Fuelling Hong Kong’s Cultural Dynamism * This programme is also sponsored by the Project for Public Culture and supported by the “Azalea (1972) Endowment Fund” and the “HKU Culture & Humanities Fund”.