The First Six Years 1963-69

In 1957， these three Institutions petitioned the Hong Kong Government for the authority to award degrees. This petition was sympathetically received and public funds were provided to the three Colleges to improve staff ， standards and facilities. Mean while, the Government pressed forward w ith its plans to create a university in which these Colleges could be incorporated as Foundation Colleges, assuming that the Fulton Commission found them ready for university status. In 1963, the Commission recommended: “ Tha t a federal university should be established in Hong Kong, incorporating as Foundation Colleges, Chung Chi College ， New Asia College ， and The United College o f Hong Kong ." (Report o f the Fulton Commission ， 1963, p. 19) The Fulton Report was divided into five parts and covered in detail various aspects o f the proposed university. Among the subjects it discussed were: Review o f the academic record and standards o f the three Colleges; Recommendation for the establishment o f a federal university; Functions and nature o f the University; Proposed division o f academic responsibilities w ith in the University; The government ， organization and procedures o f the University; D raft Ordinance and Statutes; Size o f the University and its Colleges; Teaching ， examinations and degrees; Date for conducting the first final examination o f the University and for the awarding o f degrees; University site; Finance ， Machinery for review o f grant; In te rim and transitional arrangements, etc. Based on this Report, the Government o f Hong Kong passed the Chinese University o f Hong Kong Ordinance in September 1963 under which The Chinese University o f Hong Kong became a legal entity on October 17，1963 w ith its own University Council and administrative officers. The University w ill always owe much to the members o f the Fulton Commission for the comprehensive and erudite manner in which it paved the way for its creation. The first Vice-Chancellor o f the University assumed duty in February 1964 and was formally installed on September 9, 1964. On October 16，1964， the University conferred its first degrees. In a matter o f a few years, therefore, the University came to life and quickly acquired administrators, faculty, students, campus— and alumni! The resources which The Chinese University brings to serve the Hong Kong community are, however ， unique. Never before have the diverse streams o f Chinese education— the national universities w ith their Confucian background, the Christian uni versities w ith their Western outlook, and the locally-oriented colleges w ith their deep interest in community problems—been brought together in a single institution. The result is a strong, rich and challenging educational environment. 3