Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1993

been active in promoting education for the 'whole- person', encouraging academic research, and establishing linkages with centres of excellence worldwide. As alumni of the University we all take pride in such achievements. As early as the sixties, exchange agreements were concluded with institutions like the University of California System. Some three decades later in the 1990s, we see more and more famous universities seeking to cooperate with The Chinese University on projects in different disciplines, fully demonstrating the University's high academic standard and international status. Examples of collaboration include a joint programme on South China studies with Yale University, with sponsorship from Drs. Cheng Yu Tung and Lee Shau Kee; long-term academic exchange between the medical schools of this university and the Johns Hopkins University; and collaborative research launched by the faculties of engineering in CUHK and Columbia University. Yet another proof of the high regard the international academic community holds for The Chinese University is the presence on the campus of many distinguished scholars who have been recruited from different parts of the world to teach and conduct research here. The outstanding academic accomplishments of CUHK graduates overseas further reinforce the high position enjoyed by the University on the international scene. Famous names frequently mentioned include Prof. S.T. Yau, the accomplished mathematician at Harvard, Prof. Tsui Lap-chee, the well-known biochemist at Toronto University, and Prof. Y ü Ying-shih, the renowned historian at Princeton University. Here in Hong Kong, the achievements of CUHK graduates in different fields have also been widely recognized by the local community. The idealism of the inception years has now been successfully transformed into real accomplishments, winning much praise at home and abroad. The University will continue to move with the times, and its roles and functions will continue to diversify. Looking towards the future, we expect to see a university that can respond promptly to changing social needs, a university that serves as a source of intellectual inspiration for the community, and a university that is dedicated to the creation of new knowledge. The academic programmes of The Chinese University have grown tremendously in breadth and depth in 30 years. Apart from the programmes in arts, science, social science and commerce offered by the original colleges in the earliest days, new programmes in education, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, engineering and architecture have been introduced one after the other. While new subjects relevant to a modem society will continue to be added as the need arises, I understand that the University is also set on expanding and strengthening its postgraduate programmes, especially the doctoral programmes, to encourage the creation of new knowledge through advanced research and the training of more university teachers and researchpersonnel .A fifth college dedicated to postgraduate studies is being planned, and it will certainly help the University make important contributions to higher education in the new century. In recent years, the University has also tried to expand and extend its capability for research. In the areas of Chinese medicine, environmental science, cancer research, mathematics, engineering, educational developments, contemporary Chinese studies, sports medicine, architecture, and urban planning, a concerted effort has been made to pool existing resources in different faculties and departments, to bring in overseas expertise, and to raise additional financial support from the community. The overall objective is to create an environment conducive to research and to turn the University into an important international centre for academic research. These are developments we love to see and these are causes worthy of strong alumni support. We sincerely hope that the University can hold on to its ideals, build on what it has achieved over the last 30 years, and attain yet another level of excellence in the future. Rooted in Hong Kong and with a splendid heritage from the Chinese as well as Western cultural tradition, the University regards it as its duty to serve both Hong Kong and China. I have been told that many research units in the University, including the Institute of Chinese Studies, the Universities Service Centre, the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the South China Studies Programme and the Hong Kong 46th Congregation 28