Bulletin Winter 1978

Inaugural Speech by Dr. Ma Lin Your Excellency, Dr. Li, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is now fifteen years since The Chinese University of Hong Kong first came into being. During these fifteen years, owing to the devoted efforts and outstanding leadership of our first Vice- Chancellor, Dr. Choh-Ming Li, the University has acquired the stature and magnitude that it possesses today. Now that Dr. Li has retired on his laurels and the University Council has entrusted me with the heavy responsibility of carrying on his work, I am only too aware of the difficulty of following the footsteps of my illustrious predecessor. It does give me comfort, however, that the Government, the Council and the community of Hong Kong have always accorded us their full support and shown us close concern, and that our staff and students are ever united in service of the University. With their blessing, may I have the courage of continuing the important mission of furthering education, a vocation which, says a Chinese proverb, takes a hundred years to fulfil. Building upon existing foundation As the University has now defined its goals and formulated its policies the main task before us is that of building upon our existing foundation, in order to fully achieve the great aims and special mission which The Chinese University has set for itself. The first and foremost aim of our University is to provide for the young people of Hong Kong a basic curriculum of world standard in the Humanities, the Social Sciences and the Natural Sciences, such that they will grow up in the best of academic environment and, upon graduation, can join the ranks of the educated with pride and be ready to take on the important task of advancing society and enriching its culture. Throughout the years, the University has devoted much time and effort to this end. It has doubtless made considerable contribution towards the raising of academic standards and producing a growing cultural awareness in Hong Kong. But whatever achievement we may have attained, there is certainly no room for complacency, for our respon- sibility remains heavy and the road ahead is long. Consolidation and strengthening of the basiccurri of the University. Professional training Hong Kong is a modern society with a high degree of specialization. The bulk of the manpower need here will be for those who have undergone professional training in addition to the basic curriculum. on the parallel development and co-ordination of the two, and continuously expands professional schools and departments for the training of experts in education, business management, social work, mass communication, as well as electronics and computer science. And in a few years' time, the newly- established Faculty of Medicine will herald in yet another new era in our professional education. On the other hand, even though specialist training and technical skills are the mainstay of a developing society, one must not forget that the moral values and integrity of professional people often play a decisive role in determining the quality of life of a community. It is for this reason,that, in addition to offering a rigorous specialist programme, the University ad citizens who will have a comprehensive and balanced view of their career vis-a-vis their civic duties and personal values. General education The significance of general education, of course, goes beyond what I have just mentioned. A healthy society-is more than a smooth-running machine; it is rather an organic body which constantly grows and evolves. And Hong Kong in its unusual position certainly has a constant need of re-examining its social structure and values and anticipating the changes in its environment if it is to maintain steady progress. Futile indeed it will be for the University to expect its students to make useful contributions to the future development of Hong Kong if it does not put strong emphasis on an educational programme which is balanced and designed to widen their mental horizon, 3