Bulletin Special Supplement Bidding Farewell to Prof. and Mrs. Charles K. Kao

A n in te rv ie w w ith P ro f. C ha rles K . Kao o n th e eve o f h is re tirem e n t ■ Chinese U n iv ersity B u lle tin □ Prof. Charles Kao Different vice-chancellors have different roles to play as the University grows from infancy to maturity. In your installation speech, you said the founding vice- chancellor, Dr. Choh-ming Li, breathed life into the University and created a soul fo r it, and that Prof. Ma Lin 'had the steady hand to put solidarity and substance into the system'. What do you consider to be your unique role? M y role has been to create space fo r peop le to g row . W hat I have done essentially is create situations where p e o p le w o u ld lik e to take o n respon s ib ilitie s . This has e n a b le d th e U n iv e rs ity to g ro w as a w h o le ： eve rybody is co n trib u tin g w h a t they shou ld because they feel it is the ir responsib ility and the environm ent a llow s them to do so. The fo u n d in g vice -chance llo r p u t The Chinese University together ； the second vice- chancellor gave it a good system. W hen the University no lo n g e r needed any h a n d -h o ld in g , I created the space at the rig h t tim e fo r talent w ith in the U niversity to p e rfo rm as it should, thus taking the U n ive rsity to a n ew leve l o f deve lopm en t. We have b y n o w b u ilt up a lo t o f strength and the op tions open are many. I When you compare the University you knew nine years ago w ith the University as it is now, what are the developments that have brought you the greatest satisfaction? The ra p id expansion o f the te rtia ry education sector and the increased government fund ing that came w ith it have a llow e d us to do a lo t o f things to become a to p u n iv e rs ity . The m o s t sa tis fy ing change I have perceived is that w e n o w have a scholarly atmosphere o n campus — som e th ing y o u can fin d o n ly in the best universities. You can feel it — people are pursuing im po rtan t tilings because they believe such things are im po rtan t. W hen I compare The Chinese U n ive rsity w ith o the r te rtia ry institutions, I fin d that ou r g row th has been o p p o rtu n e and desirab le . We are re a lly 中文大學校刊． 校 刊 ----ChineseUniversityBuletin . Special Supplement 14