Vice-Chancellor's Report 1987-90

Vice-Chancellor's Report teaching load and other University duties will be set at a proportion agreeable to both the University and the staff members concerned. New Long Leave Arrangements Implemented To facilitate manpower planning and to help the University to ease the financial burden which may arise from payment in lieu of extended accumulation of long leave, the Universit y started to implement new long leave arrangements from 1st January 1990 for all Terms of Service (A) staff appointed on or after that date. Serving staff members on Terms of Service (A) were given the option of selecting the new arrangements from the same date. Under the new leave arrangements, payment in lieu of any accumulated long leave up to a maximum of one month is made to all affected Terms of Service (A) staff members once every year instead of at the end of employment. The remaining long leave earned has to be cleared, broadly speaking, within a two-year period. However, staff members may, upon application, be allowed to use their accumulated long leave as study leave for a period of up to six months to pursue further studies or research leadin g to a higher degree or equivalent qualifications relevant to their duties. r e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y s e c r e t a r i a t The University's continuous growth and new thrusts in various directions have generated the need for new administrative and service support, e.g. better focused staff development programmes and fund-raising programmes to aid research. To enable the administrative units to render services more efficiently, smoothly and in good time, the administrative departments have been reorganized to be task-specific and free from double reporting. With effect from 1 st January 1990 ， the Secretariat has been consolidated into three distinct sections: Personnel, Council and General Affairs, and University Development. The job responsibilities, authority and accountability of the staff members at all levels have been more clearly defined to minimize the overlapping of roles and duties. The new administrative set-up has enabled each officer to discharge his/her responsibilities independently an d efficiently within defined authority and to be accountable for his/her decisions and actions. Furthermore, the new system has enhanced the capability of the Secretariat and its staff to respond to changes and to maintain the quality of service as the operation grows larger. The University Development Section is a newly established section within the Secretariat to support the expansion of the University's research and development (R & linkages and collaboration with external organizations. Through increased research activities and greater collaboration with business and public organizations, the University can enlarge its reservoir of knowledge, and in turn benefit society by transferring such knowledge to student s and to the community at large. The University Development Section provides an umbrella structure for three existing 17