Newsletter No. 333

No. 333, 4.3.2009 十 方 吐 露 TEN QUESTIONS FOR 下回〈十方吐露〉將訪問王永平教授 Prof. Joseph W.P. Wong will be featured in the next instalment of ‘TEN QUESTIONS FOR’. 預告 Coming the humanities and the social sciences. With its Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Science, CUHK enjoys an edge in law education and research. The establishment of the Faculty of Law makes CUHK more complete as a comprehensive university. 5 為何辭任副校長？ Why did you resign as PVC? 《聖經．傳道書》裏面有句話：「凡事都有定期，天下萬務 都有定時。」我在這個崗位總共待了十三年三個月，時間已 很長，須考慮應否在退休前重拾初來中大時所做的工作， 即教學與研究呢？另外還要考慮大學管理層的接班問題。 現在大學的行政和人事制度已大致穩定，我覺得是退下來 的適當時機。 The Bible says, ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.’ I was PVC for 13 years and three months. It was a long time and I asked myself: Do I want to return to what I was doing when I first joined the University, namely, teaching and research? I also had to think about the succession issue of the university management. Seeing that the administration and personnel systems of the University have been stabilized, I believe that it is the right time for me to step down as PVC. 6 接下來有甚麼計劃？有甚麽興趣想培養？ What are your plans? What interests are you going to develop? 主要的計劃是花多些時間從事研究。另一個大計是多做運 動，健身、行山、太極、游水都可以，讓生活習慣健康一點。 I will spend more time on research. And I also want to do more sports, such as working out at the gym, hiking, Tai Chi, and swimming. I want to lead a healthier lifestyle. 7 你現在有參與甚麽公職？ What public service do you render? 現時還擔任六七個委員會成員，包括航空發展諮詢委員 會，策略發展委員會，證券及期貨事務監察委員會，有關行 政立法兩會議員、問責官員，以及區議員薪津的兩個獨立 委員會等。 I am a member of about six to seven panels, including the Aviation Development Advisory Committee, the Commission on Strategic Development, the Securities and Futures Commission, as well as the Independent Commission on Remuneration for Members of Exco and Legco, and Officials under the Political Appointment System and the Independent Commission on Remuneration for Members of the District Councils. 8 在中大工作三十多年了，你最愛中大的甚麼事物？ Having worked for over three decades in CUHK, what do you like the most about the University? 這裏的人與物。「人」當然是指中大的同事。我在中大工作 這麼多年，經常接觸各個行政部門主管和其他同事。他們 對工作的熱誠令我非常難忘，大家的關係又像個大家庭。 中大很幸運有這麼多好員工。 我最眷戀的「物」肯定是中大的自然環境，這裏的一草一木 我都很喜歡。我在大學住了很多年，兩個女兒都是在這裏 長大，我帶着她們探索過校園每個角落，那裏有蝌蚪，那 裏有蟋蟀，那裏有草蜢都很清楚。所以我對中大校園感情 很深。 Its people and its scenery. The people are of course my colleagues. I have been with the University so long and have worked with many directors and other colleagues of its administrative units. I am impressed by their enthusiasm for work. We are like a big family. CUHK is so lucky to have so many good staff members. The natural scenery is certainly what I like the most about CUHK. I have lived on campus for many years and my two daughters grew up here. I have explored every spot of the campus with them and know exactly where to find crickets, grasshoppers or tadpoles. So I have a deep affection for this campus. 9 香港的大學當下的最大挑戰是甚麼？ What are the biggest challenges facing Hong Kong universities? 短期挑戰當然是為幾年後實行的「三三四」學制做好準 備，以順利過渡。中長期的挑戰則是大學為未來發展的自 我定位。中國有句老話「學如逆水行舟，不進則退」，辦學 也一樣。今天香港有幾所大學躋身全中國大學的前列，但 內地許多大學都冒起得很快。如果我們狹隘地只着眼於本 地，很快就會被其他大學趕過，邊緣化成為華南一所本土 大學。 The challenge in the short-term is of course the preparation for the smooth and successful implementation of the ‘3+3+4’ academic system. The mid- and long-term challenge is the self positioning of a university for its future development. As the Chinese saying goes, ‘Studying is like sailing upstream. You either forge ahead or fall behind.’ It is also true with running an education institute. Today some of the local universities are way ahead of their mainland counterparts in world university rankings. But many universities in China are emerging rapidly. If we are parochial in our outlook, we will soon be overtaken and marginalized to an extent that we cannot maintain our competitive edge beyond southern China. 10 金融海嘯對大學的發展會有甚麼影響？ What impact does the financial crisis have on the University? 影響有負面但也有正面。負面影響是，我們主要是靠公帑 支持，而金融海嘯難免會令政府收入減少，繼而影響對大 學的撥款。短期內這方面對大學的影響不大，可是私人籌 款方面，在當前經濟環境下，實在難寄以厚望。 正面的影響在於人才招聘方面。大學招聘教研人員，是要 和全世界院校競爭。以往經濟環境好的時候，招聘某些學 科的教授，我們能付出的薪津無法與北美大學相比。現在 隨着環球經濟環境轉壞，無論在全球招聘學術人員還是在 本地招聘行政人員，對我們都較為有利。 There will be negative and positive impacts. The financial crisis will take its toll on our budget as the University is supported by public money and the government’s revenues will drop. But it will have a positive effect on staff recruitment. Universities compete globally for talent. In boom times, we could not compete with North American universities in recruiting teachers of certain disciplines because they could offer very attractive remuneration. Now as the world economy shifts south, we are in a better position to recruit both academic staff globally and administrators locally. 給我最愛的人類 蘇曉欣，藝術系三年級生 To People I love So Hiu-yan Angel, Year 3, Department of Fine Arts ( Continued )