The Review 2006

The Review 2006 The Review 2006 our human resource management system. To this end, we have re- designed the system to place emphasis on tractability and performance reward incentives. The first phase involved our academic staff and we are concurrently in a second phase, concentrating on the support side of our team. Human resource management reforms inevitably result in feelings of uncertainty and anxiety for some and we are trying our best to address such concerns. The third and most vital area of preparation for the switch to four years of undergraduate education is curriculum. In recent years the University has sought to extend student learning outside the classroom, provide more experiential learning and expose students to varied cultural experiences. The redacted curriculum will enable us to enshrine these aims and prepare students for coping with the ever-changing environment that marks 21st century life, as described in the Preparing for Change chapter. The principle transitional issue we need to address is the overlap of students on three-year and four-year undergraduate programmes. We are presently working on the optimum solution to provide both cohorts with the best opportunities we can offer. In many ways, the changes described above are a return to the original vision of the University in 1911. We began as an international institution admitting students from around the region and further afield. Now, as we approach our centenary in 2011, we are returning to the vision of our founders. The high degree of internationalism in our teaching and research is one of the factors enabling us to attract the brightest students and scholars and elevate our profile among our peers. The Times Higher Education Supplement – QS 2006 ranked us 33rd among the world’s top universities, and while such rankings do not give a complete picture of our achievements, they do indicate that our attainments and standards are recognised internationally. Our reforms and campus development plans offer magnificent opportunities for even greater achievements by our teachers, researchers and students and I have no doubt our star will advance further towards its zenith. Finally, for those who are interested in the financial dimension of the University’s profile, I would like to point out that details of our Annual Accounts 2005-06 have been included at the end of this Review . I hope you will find The Review in its entirety to be an informative and enlightening snapshot of our work over the past year. Professor Lap-Chee Tsui Vice-Chancellor December 2006