Bulletin Spring 1975

Working Party on Educational Policy and University Structure The Working Party on Educational Policy and University Structure was appointed by the Vice-Chancellor on 12th February, 1974 with the endorsement of the Administrative and Planning Committee and the concurrence of the Senate and Council to consider and make recommendations on all basic policy matters concerning educational policy with particular reference to the undergraduate programme and the consequent readjustments in the structure of the University as a whole. Membership The Working Party was appointed with the following membership:— Chairman: Dr. Ying-shih Yii (Pro-Vice- Chancellor ) Members: (The three Faculty Deans) Mr. Y i m Lee (Arts) Prof. Hsing Mo-huan (Com. & Social Science) Prof. Ma Lin (Science) (The three Immediate Past Faculty Deans) Mr. Wang Teh-chao (Arts) Prof. Sum Hsin (Com. & Social Science) Dr. Chang Hson-mou (Science) (The President of University Student Union) Mr. Chai Hi-hing Miss Yeung Po-hei (The Immediate Past President of University Student Union) Mr. Louie Kin-sheun (Three Co-opted members from the teaching staff) Dr. Chen Fong-ching Dr. Ambrose Y . C. King Dr. Philip Fu Secretary : Mr. N.H. Young Apart from the Student Union Presidents, members of the Committee are all academicians including the Chairman, who is a Professor of History seconded from Harvard University. 2 Preliminary Report The Working Party held its first meeting on 27th February, 1974, and has since held a total ol" 60 full committee meetings and a number of subcommittee meetings. The original intention of the Working Party was to publish a Preliminary Report in four serial numbers, which lead to a Final Report. The English version of the Preliminary Report Serial No. I was thus published on 7th October, 1974, followed by the Chinese version on 29th November, 1974. However, it was later resolved that the Preliminary Report should be brought out in one single issue so that the University community might have a comprehensive view of the Working Party's proposals�Subsequently the complete Preliminary Report was published in Chinese on 26th February, 1975, with a wide distribution to all members of the University, including students, stafT, members of the University Council and members of the Boards of Governors/Trustees of the Colleges. The English version followed on 2 ist March, 1975. Basic Premises The basic premises of the Preliminary Report may be summarized as follows :一 (1) The University should maintain a federal system, but in order to vitalize its constituent parts certain substantial changes should be made in its present structure. (2) Departments belonging to the same discipline but at present assigned to different Colleges should be integrated into a single department for reassignment to a College/School according to several possible patterns, namely the Area-based, the Faculty-based or the Department-b System. (3) "Full participation in University government by teachers" should be adopted as a basic principle, that is, teachers should play an important part in the decision-making process of the University at all levels. The Working Party is to submit its final report to the Chancellor with copies to the University Senate and Council.