Bulletin Special Supplement Ever in My Heart: Professor Ambrose King and The Chinese University

中文大學校刊 · 特刊 Chinese University Bulletin · Special Supplement 40 己，我喜歡讀書，喜歡著述，我也清 楚任何人必須工作。所以我一早就選 擇大學的教職為志願。不過，一九七 零年我從美國到香港的中文大學，多 少有些偶然，如果不是社會學家楊慶 教授的邀約，如果不是中大創校校 長李卓敏先生在匹茲堡要我加盟中大 的一席話，我過去的三十四年可能很 不一樣。回想起來，我真很幸運，我 在中大三十二年的教書研究與著述的 生涯是快樂的，感覺良好的。其間， 有幾次，沒有太多的猶豫，就推辭了 他地的邀請，決定留在中大，留在香 港。事實上，我發現我不止喜愛上中 大，也喜愛上香港。 我來中大之初，並未想到教研之外的 事，但一九七七年，李卓敏校長令我 信服的游說，使我成為新亞書院最年 輕的院長，從此之後，我與大學行政 就結下不解之緣，一直到二零零二 年，李國章校長因為被邀出任教統 局局長，事出突然，在一非常特殊 的情形下，又是一位李校長使我成 為中文大學最年老的校長。我從未 盼望過做校長，也許因為我太習慣 於教書與研究，但我到底還是創下 了另一個紀錄，即是創下了任期最 短的中大校長的紀錄（我不相信也不 希望有人會破我這個紀錄）。這一切 都似乎是「緣」。無論如何，大學校 長的工作畢竟讓我有一個機會為大學 的整體發展貢獻我最後的一己心力。 同時，我更有機會與大學各個不同領 域的同事緊密共處，特別是在過去 「多事之秋」的兩年，使我認識到中 大不但人才濟濟，而且對大學都是如 此忠誠。在大學面臨嚴峻的挑戰時， 那種風雨共路，同舟共濟的團隊精神 令我感動，而那種「風雨後必有朗朗 晴天」的樂觀信念，更使中大克服一 個困難後又一個困難。這是中大能一 been very different. I realize with hindsight how extremely lucky I have been. The Chinese University gave me a wonderful 32 years of teaching, research, and writing. The experience couldn’t have been better. During those years, I declined without much hesitation several offers from overseas so as to stay at The Chinese University and in Hong Kong. The truth was, I had fallen in love not only with the University but also with Hong Kong. In the first few years at the University, my sole preoccupation was teaching and research. But then in 1977, I was talked into assuming the headship of New Asia College by Vice- Chancellor Dr. Choh-Ming Li, and became the youngest College Head NewAsia had ever had. Thus began a long, inextricable involvement with University administration until 2002, when Vice-Chancellor Prof. Arthur Li suddenly accepted the government’s invitation to serve as Secretary for Education and Manpower. So, under very special circumstances, another Vice-Chancellor with the same surname ‘Li’ landed me in the position of Vice-Chancellor, and I became the oldest Vice-Chancellor the University has ever had. I never aspired to the position, nor was I particularly interested in it, probably because I’d been too used to teaching and research. Nevertheless I did set yet another record the record of being the Vice-Chancellor with the shortest term. (I do not believe or hope that anyone will break my record.) I cannot but attribute all these twists and turns to destiny. In any case, the vice-chancellorship did give me the chance to contribute my last efforts to the University’s overall development. It also gave me the opportunity to work closely with colleagues from very different fields during the past two years, when the University was beset with weighty problems. It was then that I came to realize not only that our University is teeming with talent, but also that they are so