The Review 2014

Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor The University of Hong Kong is a wonderful institution and I am very proud to be its 15 th President. Since arriving in Hong Kong at the end of March this year, I have been most impressed by how much HKU has accomplished in the past few years – the smooth transition to a four-year undergraduate curriculum, the spectacular new campus, the continuing excellence in research, and the expansion of knowledge exchange programmes. My predecessor, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, did a tremendous job in leading these changes and we all owe him a deep measure of gratitude for his hard work. Today, HKU faces a number of challenges, one being that it could become a victim of its own success and its distinguished heritage. There is a risk of complacency. Whilst we have a huge amount to be proud of, we must keep moving if we are to sustain our achievements and enhance our global position. Fortunately, as I see it, HKU remains a place full of opportunities and positives. Moving Beyond Comfort Zones The University attracts the best- performing students in Hong Kong and many top students from Mainland China and around the world, who all possess great natural talent. We have done very well in the education of generations of students. If we are to do even better in future, we must set the bar higher. We want to do more than educate students – we want to produce graduates who are capable of becoming global leaders. An important quality in leadership is the ability to understand people of different backgrounds and to see things from a broad perspective. To help students develop such ability, we have promoted diversity in all senses of the word on campus. As part of this we have allocated about 20 per cent of places to non-local students and expanded opportunities for students to do an exchange, internship, research or other such endeavour outside Hong Kong. We are now working towards a goal of seeing every student spend time in either Mainland China or overseas, and eventually in both. An added benefit of going to new places and meeting different people is that it boosts confidence. Students become more adept at navigating unfamiliar situations. I have frequently been told that HKU students do not have the self-confidence justified by their excellence. I would not want to see over-confidence or complacency, Opportunities for Excellence THE REVIEW 2014 ⎜ 3 Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor