Bulletin Supplement Aug 1969

I V . From Closed System to Open System As I have already mentioned, there is an increasing demand among the students for opening up the decision-making process. Although it might be said that there is a general tendency to move from a closed system to an open system, there are several points t o be considered before taking action. If we are to adopt an open decision-making system, there woul d be some good effects. For example, the suspicions of the students toward secrecy of the decision-making process would be dissolved. And thei r desire for obtaining complete and immediate informatio n about the decision- making process would be satisfied. Yet at the same time, we have to consider certain negative effects which the open system would create. The open system would make it much difficult for the faculty to accommodate conflicting views at meetings and to reach a compromise. There is a danger that the decision-making system itself might be dysfunctional, because individuals woul d tend to stick to their own position. Meetings, as a result, would become a sort of forum in which decisions would be most difficult to reach, V. Conclusion V I I . O t h e r Ac t i v i t i es I n addition to attending the seminars and lectures held during scheduled sessions of the Workshop, individual participant s devoted several afternoons and evenings in study and research of the position papers submitted by individual institutions and other material reflecting new developments in their respective fields. A Library and a Common Room, especially set up at the Benjamin Franklin Center, were made available to the group for this purpose. Institutional teams and members of the respective seminar panels met in small discussion groups to gain further insight into the various problems included o n the Workshop agenda. Case studies on the following subjects were keenly discussed by many of the delegates at three evening meetings: 1. The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning 2. Student Problems i n Japan 3. Bangalore University , Yonsei University and Silliman Universit y Participants took time out from their work sessions to visit Chung Chi College, New Asia College and United College, where they toured the campuses and were entertained by performances of the students. Visits were also made to the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Ltd. A tour of the New Territories, a cruise around Hong Kong Island to enjoy the view of the "Pearl of the Orient", followed by dinner at Aberdeen, highlighted the extra-curricular activities of the Workshop delegates. V I I I . The Cl os i ng Ceremony On August 30th, at the end of the 2 weeks of discussions, seminars and lectures, the 6 seminar leaders with Professor S.S. Hsueh as chairman, presented reports on their respective subjects. No definite conclusions were reached, rather suggestions were put forth relating to the immediate problems and priorities of the universities and colleges and ideas advanced for programmes of action for improveme and innovation. During the closing ceremony, the keynote speaker, Mr. Tarlo k Singh, brought to the attention of Asian scholars and administrators the recommendatio contained in the reports of the seminars. He also summed up the various aspects and topics discussed during the Workshop: 1. Differing conditions and common problems 2. Modernization and the role of the university 3. Social and political background: opportunities and constraints 4. Undergraduate study : content and emphasis 5. Teachers: rol e and development 6. Students in the educational structure 7. Reform and innovation 8. Co-operation and interchange Dr. Choh-Ming Li, Director of the Workshop, delivered a closing statement following Mr. Tarlok Singh's speech. Closing Statement by Dr. Choh-Ming hi The workshop technique has been tested else where before. A s far as Asia is concerned, this is the first time that a workshop of such a scale has been held. In this sense, it was an "innovation and experimentation" in itself. The theme of the — 1 3 —