Members were given a comprehensive overview of recent developments at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) at the 15th meeting of the Court held on 21 January.

In addition to hearing news about CityU’s ranking, research achievements and future projects aimed at further enhancing the University’s reputation for excellence in higher education, the Court was briefed on our response to the social movement in Hong Kong in recent months.

After welcoming new external members to the Court, Dr Chung Shui-ming, Pro-Chancellor, thanked CityU’s management teams for the leadership shown during the past few challenging months.

“It is heartening to see how the University has responded to these challenges and still managed to uphold its mission and core beliefs,” Dr Chung said.

In his address, Mr Lester Garson Huang, Council Chairman, reiterated the need for CityU to remain neutral and to protect staff and students on campus at all times.

“We will continue to prioritise safety,” Mr Huang said.

He went on to praise CityU for remaining well-tuned to the currents of Hong Kong, regional and global trends in higher education.

“Our focus in big data, veterinary medicine, biomedical sciences, materials science and a host of other areas is highly strategic. We know that these are the major areas of research and study for the greater benefit of society,” he said.

Court members were pleased to hear that CityU’s ranking continued to reflect the excellence of our teaching and research, and our capacity to attract international faculty and students. Other projects mentioned included renovating the CityU Lodge, situated prominently along Tat Chee Avenue, to provide high-quality accommodation for world-class scholars visiting CityU and for promoting the CityU’s image. Mr Huang also briefed Court members on the strategic purchase of farmland at Lam Tsuen for use as a dairy farm in support for the 6-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme.

Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, stressed to Court members the high quality of CityU’s faculty, noting how we continue to attract top talent from around the world.

He singled out Professor Xie Min, Chair Professor of Industrial Engineering in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, as an example of a high-ranking scholar joining CityU. Professor Xie has published over 200 journal papers and 100 conference papers, and serves as editor, associate editor and sits on the editorial board of over 15 international journals. His over 50 PhD students now hold positions in academia, industry and financial institutions.

The need to respect tolerance and academic freedom, especially in terms of CityU developing further as a world-class university, was also emphasised in his address.

To bring the meeting to a close, Professor Horace Ip Ho-shing, Vice-President (Student Affairs), and Mr Sunny Lee Wai-kwong, Vice-President (Administration), summarised the work of CityU’s Emergency Response Unit, which was set up in August 2019 as a central coordinating point for all matters related to CityU and the social unrest in Hong Kong.