Court updated on CityU news
Members of the Court were briefed on the latest developments at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) on 7 December.
This was the 13th meeting since the Court’s inception.
Dr Chung Shui-ming, Pro-Chancellor, made special mention of the progress of instituting the One Health concept at CityU with reference to several aspects.
He cited the renaming of the School of Veterinary Medicine to the College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences in July and the consolidation of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health under the umbrella of the College; the roll out in September of the first-ever Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme in Hong Kong; the progress of the accreditation process for CityU’s training in veterinary medicine; and the record-breaking HK$500 million donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for supporting veterinary medicine and life sciences.
Dr Chung reiterated the importance of community support with specific mention of the importance of the recent BOCHK Charitable Foundation’s donation of HK$100 million to support the development of veterinary medicine at CityU, and to boost overseas exchanges and internships, as well as the inauguration of the CLP Power Low Carbon Energy Education Centre.
“I am very happy to see campus thriving with so much activity, from student-led projects to our award-winning academics bringing to fruition their innovative ideas in a range of different subject areas,” said Dr Chung, before thanking outgoing and incoming members of the Court at the end of his address.
Standing in for the Council Chairman, Mr Herman Hu Shao-ming, who was unable to attend the Court meeting, Mr Vincent Chow Wing-shing, Deputy Council Chairman, reviewed the past six months since the Court last sat.
Touching on matters related to governance, human resources and development, he assured the Court that CityU remained committed to maintaining a robust governing framework to enable the growth and further development of the University under its steer.
“I am confident that the support of colleagues, students, alumni and supporters, including our Court members, will enable CityU to continue to scale new heights,” he said, pointing out that the Council’s recent retreat had enabled an in-depth exchange of views on governance and strategic development issues between Council members and University management.
The President of CityU, Professor Way Kuo, explained to the Court in his address CityU’s approach to world rankings, pointing out how the University had come to dominate regionally in specific areas of research such as engineering, and discussed how young faculty were carving out the foundations for highly successful careers at CityU.
Community support validated CityU’s strategic direction and achievements, he added, noting how donations had grown dramatically over the past eight years, culminating recently in the HK$500 million donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
“Please spread the word to the public,” Professor Kuo said to Court members, thanking them for the advisory role they play. “Let others know we have strong teams of teachers and students here at CityU, and that we are doing excellent work and developing rapidly.”