Bulletin No. 2, 2020

22   Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2010 At 8:45 pm, Sung drove himself to New Asia College and breezed into Chih Hsing Hall for a gathering with students. In his welcoming speech, Tam Kwan-kin, chairman of the executive committee of the New Asia Student Union, described him as ‘a Vice-Chancellor who’s willing to listen to students’. No stranger to such events, Sung was quick to pick up the microphone and talked about the core values of university education. He urged students to think: what would they do besides playing hard and working hard to make the world a better place? What’s the difference between visiting a poor country to help the underprivileged and going on a study tour to a developed country in terms of impact on spiritual growth? Emphasizing two-way interaction as always, the Vice-Chancellor invited his audience to voice their views on whether values education and community service should be put under the University’s general education programme, whether they should be credit-bearing courses, and whether required or elective. A student replied that university students did not have enough time for community service because they are busy building up their social networks and adapting to the new mode of living and learning, so it should wait till after graduation. Sung said that university life and community service do not have to be mutually exclusive. When the discussion shifted to certain controversial topics, he made clear his position in a gentle and confident manner. He reiterated that rankings should never be a university’s focus, and the quality of its graduates should never be measured by their salaries. He also mentioned that the proposed establishment of a campus in Shenzhen was not motivated by short-sighted monetary goals but by the wish to contribute to China’s education development. Two hours passed. With a bowl of dessert soup in his hand, he was still mingling with the students, with no indication of any wish to leave. Thus, from 7 to 11. Some said he has had longer days.