The Review 2005

2 7 T HE R E V I EW 2 0 0 5 Amy Au-yeung is a secondary school deputy principal who collaborates on projects with the Faculty of Education. “Partnership is very important because in the education field we need the most up-to-date information and universities are the best source of this information. Secondary schools can also help the University by giving them feedback for their research.” Academics in several faculties, such as Medicine and Social Sciences, also offer a great variety of workshops and training for in-service professionals. The HKU Family Institute, for example, trains psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and doctors in using a family-oriented approach when treating patients. Educational programmes can also extend beyond Hong Kong’s borders. The postgraduate Architectural Conservation Programme is the first in the region to offer training in heritage conservation, earning praise from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and other international cultural preservation bodies. Although many students are based in Hong Kong, shorter training courses on cultural management have been arranged for officials and professionals from other Asian countries, such as India, Thailand and the Philippines. A university’s assets are often measured by its academic achievements but we also have facilities that can benefit the community. The grounds of the Main Estate of the University are a valuable asset to the local neighbourhood, and at the heart of our interaction with the community. They provide a green and relatively open space. We have redeveloped the Main Estate in the past, but over the next few years we need to expand its boundaries. Student numbers will increase by at least 20 per cent by 2012 with the introduction of four- year undergraduate degree programmes. Therefore, we are working on a Centennial Development Plan to extend the estate westward by 14 hectares and build a new complex. That development should enable us to open up even more to the local community and build upon our existing services and partnerships. The University, in its setting and activities, maintains a dynamic relationship with the community. There are many opportunities right on our doorstep to collaborate with and serve people from all walks of life and we take full advantage of them. As we extend our boundaries further and bring more people onto campus, we look forward to multiplying and deepening these relationships with the community in Hong Kong and further afield. The Department of Architecture has helped rural Kaiping, in Guangdong province, China, in its bid for World Heritage status under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.