The Review 2004

6 T H E R E V I E W 2 0 0 4 T H E R E V I E W 2 0 0 4 7 THE vice -chancellor ’s Message The long-term goal of internationalisation must also be seen in the context of the University’s overall direction. We are within the top ranks of universities regionally and world-wide, a position we intend to hold on to and improve upon. This means setting ever-higher goals and standards. Our research programme will continue to be well-supported, especially in multi-disciplinary research based around our areas of strength. We will also continue to improve our teaching and learning programme. Fol lowing the government’s announcement to reduce the local secondary education programme by one year, and to increase undergraduate tertiary education from three to four years, we will embark on another curriculum reform to ensure that we can provide a meaningful education that prepares tomorrow’s leaders under this new structure. Internally, we are proceeding with measures to enhance our efficiency and effectiveness. The University undertook a governance and management review in 2002-03 that bore fruit in 2004. The Council and Senate were substantially reduced in size and revamped in composition. To provide essential support to the Council, an audit committee was established to complement the existing dedicated committees in the key areas of human resources, finance and campus development and planning. The senior management team was strengthened by the appointments of a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and two full-time and two part-time Pro-Vice-Chancellors. We are also continuing the evolutionary process of appointing to each faculty a full-time Executive Dean. These measures have been designed to promote greater transparency and accountability within the governance and management process and to balance the authority structure with collegiality as a hallmark of academic life. Additionally, the first phase of human resource management reform proposals received Council approval in September 2004 and is being Students and staff welcomed China’s Olympic medallists in September 2004. Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor implemented. These changes aim to create a climate of success which will enable the University to recruit and retain the best talents, to recognise and reward excellence and to optimise the development of our primary and quintessential resource, people. In the area of support systems, we earned recognition for our environmental and student services. The University won the Gold Award for the best environmental report in the 2003 Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards. We also reduced electricity use and decreased our output of waste. And the Office of Student Affairs, Personal Development and Counselling Centre and Careers Education and Placement Centre achieved ISO 9001 certification in 2004, the first student service in Hong Kong to do so. From our support systems through to our academic output and graduates, the University aims to meet the highest international standards through continuous review and improvement. We want our staff and students to follow suit. This brings to mind a comment by a member of China’s Olympic medal team, who visited the campus in September to tremendous enthusiasm from students and staff. She told us that everybody has his or her own Mount Everest to climb; no matter what the size of your mountain, you must try each day to climb higher than the day before. The University is scaling its mountain with, I must add, the support and encouragement of many in the community and the University family. I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to all of those who helped us achieve so much in the past year, and look forward to your support in future as we reach for ever-higher goals.