City University of Hong Kong (CityU) held the groundbreaking ceremony on 7 January for the Community College of City University (CCCU) Building, one of the new buildings on campus catering to the University’s long-term development needs.

Officiating guests of the ceremony were Mr Raymond H C Wong, JP, Permanent Secretary for Education; Mr Chung Shui-ming, GBS, JP, Chairman of Council of CityU; Mr Vincent Chow Wing-shing, BBS, JP, Chairman of Board of Management, CCCU; Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President, CityU; and Ms Jennifer Ng Glok-hong, CCCU Principal.

In his welcoming address, Mr Chung emphasised the significance of the new building to the development of CityU and CCCU. “The groundbreaking ceremony today marks a milestone for the College and also for the University as a whole,” he said. “Through the Community College, CityU continues its proud tradition of offering Associate Degrees of the highest quality and some 6,000 students currently study for these awards in the College. When this new building is completed in 2010, we anticipate that this number will continue to grow.”

Mr Wong addressed the ceremony and said CityU is one of the leading pioneers in sub-degree education in Hong Kong, with one in every three associate degree students in Hong Kong studying at CityU. “Without the significant contribution made by CityU, we would not have been able to achieve the policy objective of enabling 60% of secondary-school leavers to receive post-secondary education.”

Professor Ho thanked the Government and the community for their support of CityU’s development. “With the financial support of the Government and the community’s support of our quality education, I believe both CityU and CCCU will continue to grow when our campus is equipped with more modern infrastructure in the years to come,” Professor Ho said.

The 40,000-square metre CCCU Building will reside on the slope behind the campus’s Sports Complex, housing a state-of-the-art resources centre, design studios, computer and language laboratories, a student canteen, classrooms, lecture theatres, and audio-video and multi-purpose rooms. It is scheduled for completion in April 2010.

“In the New Year we prepare ourselves to face new challenges and maintain our status as the leading college in the sub-degree sector,” said Ms Ng. “I believe the CCCU Building will not only be a new home for us, but also a new milestone for our education service.”

Other new buildings scheduled for completion on campus between 2010 and 2012 are the Multi-media Building and the Academic and Administration Building. They will provide comprehensive facilities to further enhance the University’s quality education and applied research activities.