Bulletin Autumn 1978

Good-bye, Dear Gardener Speech of President, CUHK Student Union at Farewell Gathering for Dr. Choh-Ming Li (22nd September 1978) Today, we are holding a farewell gathering for our retiring Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Li. There is a famous Confucian saying: "A thirty- year-old man is well-established", meaning that when a man reaches the age of thirty, he knows the philosophy of life, is able to stand on his own feet and is considered a grown-up. Now, when we are bidding farewell to Dr. Li, we would naturally ask: How mature is The Chinese University after fifteen years? Indeed, the University's development has been very much tied up with Dr. Li's Vice-Chancellorship. The Chinese University was established to meet the needs of the Chinese community in Hong Kong. In the early days, three constituent colleges-Chung Chi College, New Asia College and United College- together formed a solid base for the University in manpower and other resources, but each of the Colleges had its own goal and educational ideal: how t integrate the three Colleges into an organic whole working in full cooperation became a matter of primary concern. Dr. Li has contributed much to achieving a unified university: important issues were agreed upon in a spirit of cooperation, thus enhancing the internal stability of the University. In these fifteen years, the University has built up a sizeable campus and the number of faculty members and library holdings has greatly increased. Although the University is mainly financed bygover substantial part of its income. Both local and overseas individuals and foundations have generously donated to this University, thereby showing full confidence in the University under Dr.Li' s leadership. Last year, the University added a new dimension to its teaching programme: student-orientated teaching was introduced to supplement subject-orientated teaching.With increase guida ce, students will have a better understanding of their chosen discipline and hence a better chance of developing their potentials 7