Bulletin Spring 1989

On the Development of CUHK An Open Letter from the Vice-Chancellor This is the first of a series of open letters from the Vice-Chancellor to all staff and students, in which policies and priorities in the development of the University are communicated to everyone in the University. The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a bilingual, comprehensive university, bom through the amalgamation of three foundation colleges each with its own educational ideals bathed in Chinese culture. This is manifested in its four-year curriculum that has, in addition to its depth and width of specializations, general education to provide additional enrichment.' I was fortunate to join such a university taking up office about one and half years ago in time to celebrate its 25th anniversary year. I am taking this opportunity to outline what I believe are the ideals in a university education, towards which all our staff and students have dedicated themselves these past years. For my part, I am adding the experiences of my working life in industry and in education to these joint efforts to bring The Chinese University of Hong Kong to its next stage of development. As a researcher, I had the opportunity of guiding and working with thousands of university graduates. It taught me the value of a flexible mind with strong convictions. As an educator, I believe in the need to adjust the tenets and principles of education to meet the challenges as set by a particular stage of development of our social and technological order. Before proceeding further, I like to quote from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, ‘To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man .' We must be true to our profession, learning wisely for ourselves and serving others to the best of our ability. We should as a group, staff and students alike, assure that labour, honour and virtue go hand in hand for everyone of us. The objectives and directions of this university for the next few crucial years can clearly be summarized as follows. The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a bilingual, comprehensive university. Its missions are (1) to produce graduates, in increasing numbers, with first and higher degrees of a quality comparable to the best in the world; (2) to serve as a knowledge pool for Hong Kong; and (3) to build selected infrastructures for Hong Kong in order to facilitate the growth of intellect, commerce and industry. To the achievement of these ends, specific actions with clear objectives are needed in all our endeavors. Teaching The quality of teaching depends on the recognition by students and staff alike, of the essential purpose of learning. I believe that teaching is to open the minds of the students and teachers such that all concerned, gaining comprehension of the academic subjects, are able to use or apply the knowledge flexibly, and to know how to look for or acquire relevant information on the subject. It is definitely not to memorize facts blindly, or to be able to substitute knowledge with jargons. Many improvements must be introduced to assure high quality teaching even if our resources are 2