Bulletin Summer‧Autumn 1992

approved a number of exchange agreements, most notably those associated w ith the newly es tablished Department of Japanese Studies. Serving as the executive arm o f the committee is the new O ffice o f Academic Links (OAL ), headed by M r. Mark L. Sheldon, formerly the F ie ld S ta ff D ire c to r o f the New Asia College branch o f the Yale-China Association. Having assumed duty in October 1991, M r. Sheldon is charged w ith managing the o ffic e as an e ffic ie n t and u se r-frie n d ly service centre fo r the whole University. The office is designed to assist U n ive rsity departments and units in the pre­ paration o f draft agreements fo r linkage and exchange programmes. It also represents the University in lia ising w ith outside bodies and partner institutions, assists in fund-raising activities for the sup port of exchange and links pro grammes, and undertakes special projects for the development of new institutional relationships and programmes assigned by the vice-chancellor and the pro-vice- chancellor responsible for aca demic links. Its director serves concurrently as secretary to the Committee on Academic Links. Other A ffilia ted Units In creating the OAL, the University also brought together several previously existing units. These include the China Links Programme (previously the Office o f Academic Exchange) which coordinates and provides support services for a wide range of faculty exchange, visiting scholar and student exchange programmes with institutions in China. This unit, headed by Dr. Luen Chih Biau, works under the aegis of the OAL to provide the best possible support services and advice to University departments and units in their conduct of relations with students and scholars from China. Dr. Luen, now associate director of OAL, is joined in the China Links Programme O ffice by three supporting staff members. A lso working closely w ith the O ffice o f Academic Links is the O ffice o f International Studies Programmes (OISP). The o ffice continues to conduct the Univer sity's International Asian Studies Programme, a one-year non-degree p ro g ram m e fo r in te r n a tio n a l students offering intensive Chinese la n g u a g e tr a in in g and A s ia n studies courses. OISP also pro vides extensive support and admin istra tive services fo r the im p le mentation o f University-w ide, col lege and departmental level student exchange programmes. Through these avenues, approximately 90 to 100 international students come to the University each year. Ex change programmes and consortial arrangem ents adm in is te re d by OISP also make it possible fo r more than 40 CUH K students to study in Canada, USA, and Japan each year. Dr. Law Yu Fai ， assistant to the director o f OISP, is con currently associate director of the OAL. Working closely with the OAL, Dr. Law continues his pri mary duties with OISP under the direction of OISP director, Dr. K.Y. Wong. 15