Alumni celebrate CityU’s 25th Anniversary
To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and broaden the alumni network, the Alumni Relations Office is staging a series of celebratory activities, including the Silver Jubilee Alumni Reunion in Beijing, Silver Jubilee Reunion: Ocean Park Night, and the 1st Distinguished Alumni Award. The University Convocation is also organising other celebratory activities.
The first event was the Silver Jubilee Alumni Reunion in Beijing on 18 July. About 100 alumni who live or work in Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong and other mainland cities took part in the reunion and celebrated the University’s 25th Anniversary. Mr Leung Chun-ying, CityU Council Chairman, Professor Way Kuo, University President, and Ms Kathy Chan Yin-ling, Associate Vice-President (Development and Alumni Relations), also joined the reunion dinner.
Mr Leung delivered a speech on “The Opportunities and Trends of Business and the Economy in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland during the Financial Crisis”. He shared his views on the topic with distinguished alumni in the fields of business, media and education. Professor Kuo thanked alumni living in different countries and regions of the world for their full support to the University. He compared CityU to a 25-year-old person full of zeal and vigour. He discussed the future development of the University and said he hoped the alumni would keep close contact and offer support to their alma mater.
The Alumni Relations Office announced that Mr Andrew Fan Ka-fai, an alumnus who had made generous donations over the years, had suggested setting up a CityU Mainland Alumni Network Scholarship to forge exchange between Hong Kong and mainland students. His appeal received a warm response from alumni at the dinner gathering. Many also jotted down messages on the leaves of a tree specially designed by the Alumni Relations Office for the occasion.
Ms Chan, Deputy Chairman of the 25th Anniversary Organising Committee, said the Alumni Relations Office and the Development Office worked together to strengthen the bonds between alumni by encouraging them to support the University through participation and by promoting alumni activities. The Alumni Relations Office has so far recruited around 900 alumni to serve as Alumni Ambassadors, who help contact other alumni to join the University’s celebratory activities. The Alumni Relations Office will also be responsible for inviting alumni to attend the Anniversary Banquet on 6 December.
Preparation for the Silver Jubilee Reunion: Ocean Park Night, is now in full swing. An event that welcomes all alumni, students, staff and their relatives and friends, the Ocean Park Night will feature an ocean animal show and lucky draw. With alumnus Mr Luk Ho-ming as the master of ceremony, all participants will be presented with a souvenir pin in commemoration of the University’s 25th anniversary. Tickets are now available at the Human Resources Office and CityU’s webpage (http://www.cityu.edu.hk/aro/ocean/).
Over the years, CityU has produced more than 100,000 professionals and leaders for the Hong Kong community. They have made significant contributions to the development and prosperity of the alma mater and Hong Kong. To recognise the major contribution made by alumni to their professional fields, community and alma mater, the Alumni Relations Office is launching the 1st Distinguished Alumni Award. Nominations are now being sought.
CityU’s Convocation, formed by alumni, will also lead several celebratory activities, including the CityU Alumni Banquet and the Mosaic Picture created from old photos of CityU. The Convocation will use profits from the CityU Alumni Banquet to establish a scholarship for CityU’s students. “Alumni are an important asset of any university. I hope we can consolidate our strengths and use our achievements and networks to make contributions to our alma mater,” said Dr Bryan Wong Siu-fai, Vice Chairman of the Convocation and coordinator of the celebratory activities.
Alumna Ms Celia Cheung Ying is a project officer organising the CityU Alumni Banquet to be held on 2 October. During her studies at CityU, she was involved in the CityU Choir and realised she had ability and an interest in organising events. She subsequently developed this interest into a career. To enable alumni to recall their memories of university days, she planned to incorporate a graduation gown fashion show into the CityU Alumni Banquet. “The University has provided me with many valuable things. I now wish to become a bridge linking alumni and CityU,” she said.
Ms Jess Li Kwan-kit, an alumna responsible for the collection of CityU’s early photos, said it was the first time she had taken part in alumni activities. “Besides collecting old photos from alumni, students and staff, I also interviewed them for the special publication commemorating the 25th anniversary. Through the interviews and photos, I collected a large volume of anecdotes and memories from people of different ages and academic departments, witnessing the growth of CityU over the past quarter of a century,” said Jess. The Convocation will use the old photos to form a Mosaic Picture.