Spring Issue, 2014

2 Dear students, staff, alumni and friends, I am truly honoured and delighted to be joining you today as the 15th President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong and I am grateful to the University Council for overwhelming support. I am determined to repay the confidence shown in me by working tirelessly to build on the legacy of my predecessors and lead the university to new heights. I am aware that there are some that doubt the wisdom of the decision to appoint me: I will strive to convince them that I am worthy of the position. Since my appointment I have been inundated with hundreds of messages of support and encouragement from staff, students, alumni and other citizens: their positivity illustrates the immense warmth that is felt for HKU. My vision for HKU is to strengthen its place on the world academic stage, to build on its self-confidence and to ensure that by optimising the University’s structure and function, together we can achieve our collective potential. HKU remains undisputedly the leading university in many fields in Asia and is enormously respected in the wider world. Illustrative of its global reputation, I have been approached by senior figures in several top universities in the UK, US and elsewhere seeking new or expanded links with HKU, and also by major industrial companies. The global standing that characterises HKU is precious and must be cherished and developed carefully to extend our impact even further. Working in partnership with universities in the mainland and further afield is already central to the work of HKU. I wish to build on this and explore the opportunities we already have and those that we can newly create with other world leading institutions: the world wants to work with us and we must demonstrate the value of them doing so. Together we can stride confidently into the future and take HKU on to ever greater contributions to education, research, leadership and public engagement locally and globally. As with all universities, HKU’s greatest assets are its staff, students, alumni and friends: all these communities must be nurtured, supported and encouraged. The finances of the university must be responsibly stewarded, investments being made in strategic directions whilst not risking the long-term stability of the institution; the sanctity of academic freedom must be protected and the quality of the university’s track record valued and further enhanced. The central principle must be that excellence in teaching and research will underpin all aspects of the university’s aspirations. “Hundreds of messages of support and encouragement from staff, students, alumni and other citizens: their positivity illustrates the immense warmth that is felt forHKU.”