Spring Issue, 2014

3 I wish to pay tribute to Professor Lap-Chee Tsui: he has been gracious and professional in handing over the reins of the University to me. I am particularly pleased that he has accepted my invitation to stay on as a senior adviser to the Vice-Chancellor so that I can continue to benefit from his experience and wisdom. I am also delighted that Professors SP Chow and Paul Tam have agreed to extend their tenure as Pro-Vice-Chancellors for University Relations and Research respectively until later in the year so that we will have additional continuity in the senior team. Professor Amy Tsui is unable to extend her term and I would like to take this opportunity to add my thanks to her for her long service to HKU as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning. There will be two new Pro-Vice-Chancellor positions appointed in the near future so that by the end of the year my new senior team should be taking shape. Together with Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Professor Roland Chin and Executive Vice-President Dr Steven Cannon, we will set about refreshing the University’s Strategy and tackling the next stages of our development. A major priority for the first few months of my tenure will be to learn more about the University from the inside. I will spend time with students, staff and alumni, visiting Faculties, departments and services and aiming to be in listening mode so that I can understand the University’s strengths and weaknesses from those that know it best. I will also engage with long-term friends and supporters of the university and with others in the Hong Kong community to ensure that I hear multiple perspectives. Informed by these interactions, I will work with all our stakeholders to seize opportunities, understand and mitigate risks, uphold the University’s core values and ensure that the University continues its second century with all the distinction that characterised its first. This is a time of great opportunity for higher education, and in Europe there is a widely held view that Asia is where the brightest future lies. HKU is ideally placed to take a leading role in maximising the impact of higher education locally and globally. I reiterate the sense of honour and opportunity that I feel as I become the 15th HKU President & Vice-Chancellor and I look forward to working together with everyone else that loves, respects and values HKU to take the University onward and upward. Yours sincerely, Peter Mathieson President and Vice-Chancellor April 1, 2014 “The global standing that characterises HKU is precious and must be cherished and developed carefully to extend our impact even further.” Left: Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Professor Peter Mathieson, Mr Laurence Tang (former President of HKU Students' Union) and Dr Leong Che-hung (Chairman of Council)