Universities are both a creator of knowledge and a guardian and promotor of modern civilisation. This is why departments, faculty, and students in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) have actively engaged in various social issues in Hong Kong.

For example, the Department of Asian and International Studies launched the CityU Sustainability Lecture Series, which discussed plans for developing sustainable food as a way to address environmental issues.

As another example, CLASS has set up the Discovery-enriched Curriculum Award to acknowledge the positive social impact of the innovative projects undertaken by students. The three winning projects discussed in this issue proposed effective solutions to environmental protection, the health of the elderly and low-income households respectively.

Individual faculty members have also contributed to services in different ways. For example, Dr KIM Ki-joon received the New Researcher Award from CLASS for his studies on the social psychological implications of telecom technologies. The inspiring work is a driving force behind the advancement of our society and human lives.

Dr Peter JORDAN encouraged students to immerse themselves in English through drama performance, which helped him to earn a Teaching Innovation Award from CLASS.

Dr Anna HUI’s work is an example of community services for local society. She was appointed by the HKSAR Government to serve as a member of the research and consulting team for the Pilot Scheme on On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services. She conducted in-depth studies into the special needs of pre-school children and proposed suitable service solutions to the authority.

We would like to emphasise that students are also active players in community services. A group of students, led by Associate Dean Professor WONG Sing-wing Dennis, visited three primary schools. They demonstrated exquisite craftsmanship during the visit, enabling primary school students to appreciate the beauty of art.

Our students have also achieved outstanding academic outcomes. ZHU Qinfeng and ZHOU Xiaoyu, two of our PhD students, received the prestigious Fulbright Award. While Zhu focused on the political and civic implications of new media technologies, Zhou conducted research on cultural differences in a person’s ability to manage and respond to an emotional experience.

Finally, we would like to share with you that for the first time, we offered CLASS Elite Student Scholarships to freshmen with excellent HKDSE results, to recognise their years of hard work and achievements.

CLASS will keep up its good work in teaching, learning and research. We are committed to providing our faculty and students with an environment to unearth and pursue their interests, develop their full potential and maximise their contributions to society.

Professor Xiaowei Zang