Summer Issue, 2012

The past year has not been easy for the University or for those who care for our alma mater . As we continue to celebrate the Centenary of the University, notwithstanding the unfortunate incident in August 2011, it was gratifying to see a record turnout at the Gala Dinner just before Christmas, reflecting the strong solidarity of the wider University family. Behind all these, however, there seems to be an important dimension emerging from this development — the University's positioning in future against its historical roles in this community, in Greater China and in the world, and how the University should go about adjusting to it. While this will take time to evolve, perhaps Convocation could take a lead in starting a discussion in some way. After all, this University does not belong only to the students; it also belongs to the staff, as well as to the many alumni of the University. In my previous messages, I have often mentioned the purposes of Convocation, our activities and what we are trying to do at the Standing Committee and our sub-committees. This time I would like to update you on some of our recent developments. In the past year, we started a series of sharing with senior University members among Standing Committee members and alumni leaders on the latest developments at the University. This facilitates an ongoing dialogue between Convocation and the University, and an exchange of views on various developmental matters. We hope to continue the series more regularly in future and to open it to a wider segment of interested alumni leaders. From time to time, the Standing Committee organises activities through several sub-committees, each with a separate area of focus. This year we have already had several major events as part of the HKU Centenary Celebrations programmes. In January, we had the Convocation Forum on The Future of The University of Hong Kong . This was followed by the second Convocation Forum on A Dialogue with the New Generation: If I were the Chief Executive （ 假如我是特首：年青人的想像與期望） co-organised with the 30SGroup in February. In March, we had a joint conference with the Convocation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong to examine how universities in Hong Kong can contribute more to the development of China. Further down the road, we hope to revive a previous activity of sending Convocation delegations to other parts of the world. Our last delegation went to Tibet nearly a decade ago. We are planning to have one or two delegations to places where the University has major collaborations. Do watch out for our notices. In the area of University affairs, and against the backdrop of the Centenary Celebrations, we are currently conducting a research project on some of the key issues in the future development of the University. We will continue the dialogue with the University and hope to develop recommendations for the University. By being more active in organising events, which are not usually the ones organised by over 100 alumni bodies, we hope to build a more vibrant alumni community, and to strengthen our platform for the exchange of views between alumni and the University. I hope we can see some results in the coming years. From all of us at the Standing Committee, have a nice holiday this summer! SY Choi 蔡秀煜 Message from the Chairman Convocation of The University of Hong Kong （香港大學畢業生議會） is a statutory body comprising graduates and teaching staff of the University. www.convocation.hku.hk convocat@hku.hk Convocation 38