Bulletin Spring 1990

An Open Letter from the Vice-Chancellor The Vice-Chancellor issued his third open letter to all staff and students on 22nd March 1990. In his previous two letters, he spelt out the broad objectives and directions of the University for the coming few years and the actions taken towards meeting such objectives. In his third open letter, Prof. Kao discusses how the duties of deans, department chairmen and hoards of studies need to be redefined as the University moves in the direction of decentralization to better cope with growth and expansion. Following is the text of the letter: A great university is created by its staff and students. A t this stage of development and at this particular time in the history of Hong Kong, we have, at this university, a unique opportunity to achieve greatness. Recently, in a concerted actio n within the entire university, we resolved to refine our credit unit system of education for greater flexibility and excellence, and we are now putting into position the necessary academic and administrative support . We are poised to expand into a much larger and stronger university in response to the needs of Hong Kong. May I take this opportunity to give credit to all concerned. At the same time, I must urge everyone to note that a good start is important but we must continue with the necessary sustained effort towards achieving our goals, namely to make this university: — a quality place of learning for our undergraduate and postgraduate students; — a truly bilingual , multi-cultural, mu l t i- disciplined university; —a n effective linkage to the universities around the world; — a knowledge pool and a think tank for the community; — a stimulus to new enterprises in Hong Kong. The tasks confronting us are challenging. Every one of us must be motivated to do our utmost. We must not be tolerant of mediocrity. We must put in the work before we think of any reward. I n a competitive age, those who shirk their duties are not only unfair to others but also unfair to themselves. In this letter, I shall concentrate on two topics: duties of the deans, department chairmen and boards of studies, and duties of the students. Duties of Deans ， Department Chairmen and Boards of Studies I am presenting the consolidated view after extensive consultation with the academic and administrative staff. The duties as defined w i l l be issued as guidelines to the deans and department chairmen and the members of the boards of studies. I n operation, some variations and improvements may be necessary. Thus, these guidelines should be treated as something dynamic rather than static. I shall discuss here the underlying thrusts of such guidelines. Copies of the full documents wil l soon be available at the department and faculty offices. Some of the suggested changes will require Senate approval before implementation. The principle of running large organizations effectively and efficiently is to place responsibilities at the smallest functional units. A person is given the responsibility to head such a uni t and is given the necessary authority for discharging his responsibility or duty. This person is then accountable for his actions. This system requires two further operational ingredients, communication and checks & balance. This is a generic description of a decentralized organization. In the heterogeneous environment of a university, the structure must reflect the historical development paths of the institution. The Chinese University of Hong Kong has been undergoing metamorphoses over the past 26 years. Th e present changes are moving along a well-trodden evolutionary path. In response to the tasks at hand, our university has been gradually decentralizing. To clearly delineate the Responsibility, Authority and Accountability of the boards of studies, the department chairmen and the faculty deans is an important step in the direction of decentralization. The responsibility of the dean lies in the overall development of the faculty. The dean has the authority to control the direction and emphasis of the faculty. The introduction or reconstitution of subjects/areas of studies, and the proportion of efforts to be devoted in these endeavours wil l be his principal concerns. The NEWS 6