The Review 2007

34 35 Professor Lakshman Samaranayake Professor Gary Biddle Professor Kwok Sun Professor Lakshman Samaranayake Dean of Dentistry The Faculty of Dentistry celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 2007. In 25 years, the Faculty has become the most vibrant of dental institutions in Asia, attracting world-class students and educators. Our undergraduate dental de- gree is one of only three worldwide that exclusively uses problem-based learn- ing, without traditional lectures, and it has been praised by external examin- ers. Our postgraduate programmes are popular internationally: a third of our 180 postgraduates in 2007 hail from 15 countries. To expand these programmes, we plan to establish an Advanced Institute of Dentistry in the not-too-distant future. Research is flourishing, and research quality and quantity are con- tinually improving, reflected by the growing number of publications in high-impact journals. Finally, our work in the community is never over, and, in collaboration with dental practitioners, we organise regular public education and community activities. Professor Gary Biddle Dean of Business and Economics In all of history there has never been a greater demand for management education, especially in China, and the Faculty of Business and Econom- ics is ideally positioned to be a world- class provider. Our outstanding faculty members, staff and students, premier brand name, international heritage, exceptional programmes, China ex- pertise and prestigious alumni are a region-beating combination. In recent years, the Faculty has built a strong foundation that I see as a launching pad ready for take-off. As Asia’s leading financial centre, Hong Kong should naturally be a world lead- er in management education. As Hong Kong’s first and foremost university, HKU should naturally be Asia’s premier international management school. With university and community sup- port we are realising this potential by developing world-class programmes with renowned global partners to benefit the University, Hong Kong and the region. Professor Kwok Sun Dean of Science I’m very excited to be here at HKU because of the opportunity for change. The University has made the very important and necessary step to invest in new people. You can’t undergo a transformation without new resources and this investment will allow us to implement new teaching programmes and new research directions, and take the University to a higher level. My faculty has its sights very much fixed on 2012 when we switch to a four-year curriculum. Strategi- cally, we’re very keen on interdiscipli- nary studies. We want to break down boundaries. Science in the 21st cen- tury goes beyond traditional subjects like physics or biology or chemistry. Global climate change, for example, is a very interdisciplinary subject. Stu- dents need broader exposure to fron- tier research areas if they want to find solutions to the problems we face. The Appointed Deans The University has been transforming its governance and management in recent years to strike a balance between the traditional collegial atmosphere of academic life and a more transparent and accountable system. Earlier, we sharpened the composition and size of our Senate and Council and our senior management team. In 2007, we completed the final step in our transition. All faculty Deans have now been appointed as full-time officers for five years. The result is a system that will enable the University to focus more effectively on strategically managing the many changes taking place on campus in the next few years and the rising expectations of our stakeholders. Here, the Deans share their thoughts. Professor Kam Louie Professor Ian Holliday Dean of Social Sciences We’re in the process of developing a collective identity for the faculty that is centred on the twin themes of social innovation and global citizenship. Our five departments will all be looking at the themes from different perspectives but we are agreed that this is a focus we can all subscribe to because it can help us to achieve our core goals. Our top priorities are obviously excellence in teaching and research – soon there will not be a student graduating from this faculty who hasn’t undertaken a programme of off-cam- pus learning related to social innova- tion and global citizenship. But we also want to be seen as a great resource for the community of Hong Kong and the wider region and to be a major player in debates about social change. Professor Kam Louie Dean of Arts The Faculty of Arts is HKU’s most international faculty and we have been sharpening our focus to concentrate on what we do well. We are at the interface of China and the West and many of our staff do research in intercultural studies, and so this is a natural direction for us to pursue. In fact, we are introducing a new major in Cross-Cultural Studies in English in 2007-08, and plan an interdisciplinary major in China Studies for 2008-09. The Centennial Recruitment Plan will help us to develop such expertise further by bringing in key people with an intercultural focus. We are also a core contributor in developing interdisciplinary and gen- eral education courses for the whole University and we are taking a very ac- tive role in supporting the transition to a four-year undergraduate curriculum. Professor Ian Holliday