Summer Issue, 2012

The first-ever joint conference co-organised by Convocation, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Convocation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), was held on March 17, 2012. It was supported by the HKUGA Education Foundation and the CUHKFAA Education Foundation. The purpose of the conference was to enable the Convocation members of both universities to learn more about the engagement and collaboration of the universities with their Mainland counterparts, and to discuss the roles both universities can play and possible contributions to make to China's development. Professor Michael Hui King-man 許敬文教授 , Pro-Vice- Chancellor, CUHK, spoke of CUHK’s vision and mission to bring together China and theWest. China Studies was one of the five distinguished fields of academic enquiry in CUHK’s Strategic Plan 2006 and serves as a platform for inter-faculty, interdisciplinary, long-term collaborations in research and education in relation to China. CUHK has set up joint research institutes with Mainland institutions, including the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shenzhen Municipal Government. Professor Roland Chin 錢大康教授 , Deputy Vice- Chancellor and Provost, HKU, outlined the University’s strategy – to nurture talents and leaders for China, to engage mainland in research and innovation, to serve as a focal point of academic endeavour in Hong Kong, China, Asia and the rest of the world, to be an eminent international university within China, and to contribute to the mainland’s reform and development, especially in higher education. A number of institutions have been established, including the HKU-Shenzhen Hospital, the Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (SIRI), the HKU Shanghai Study Centre, Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (ZIRI), and a number of joint laboratories and four State Key Laboratories. Professor Chin hoped that Hong Kong’s experiences of the contemporary university model could serve as a reference for Mainland counterparts. Changes have already begun in China’s higher education where institutional autonomy and the separation of the academia from politics are emphasised. The subsequent discussion and Q&A session were moderated by Chan King-cheung 陳景祥 , Chief Editor, Hong Kong Economic Journal, and Tai Keen-man 戴健文 (BSc 1977; MPhil 1983), Deputy Director of Broadcasting (Programmes), Radio Television Hong Kong. Michelle Li 李美嫦 (LLB 1988), Deputy Secretary for Education, said that in order to contribute more to China, Hong Kong would need to seize the opportunities provided by the Mainland’s development in the next five years. Cheung Chi-kong 張志剛 , Executive Director of One Country Two Systems Research Institute, was of the opinion that in the last thirty years higher education on the Mainland had not raised its standards sufficiently high compared with China’s achievements in economic and infrastructure development. Cheung believed that Hong Kong universities could serve as role models in governance and social resources. Lau Yui-siu 劉銳紹 , political commentator, stressed the importance of having a ‘heart’ for China and a thorough understanding of the country, and expected more exchanges in Chinese andWestern (or foreign) values in future. Joint Convocation Conference The Roles of HKU and CUHK in China's Development 「港大與中大在中國發展中的角色」 Content of this section is contributed by the Standing Committee of Convocation. Convocation 41