Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung Vice-Chancellor of CUHK (2010–2017)

7 中文大學校刊 Chinese University Bulletin | 特刊 Special Supplement I stand before you greatly honoured and with humility to be appointed as the seventh Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This University was founded by scholars who embraced Chinese culture and philosophy, who had great passion to educate young men and women to become mature and responsible adults, who pointed out that we need humanities as much as science and technology to make our country and our world a better place. And with these commitments they laid solid foundations for our University over 60 years ago. Under the capable leadership of my predecessors, The Chinese University of Hong Kong has become one of the top comprehensive research universities in Asia. Our cherished traditions in bilingualism and biculturalism, our heritage of profound humanitarianism, blending Eastern and Western cultures, our commitment to general education and whole-person development and our unique non-formal education and pastoral care through our Colleges has put us on the global map of higher education in the past 50 years. But today we are facing unprecedented challenges. Radical changes are occurring in university education worldwide. A silent crisis has started when nations thirst for economic growth, researchers are driven by the search for resources more than curiosity, universities look up to rankings more than nurturing young souls, and professors are rewarded primarily by their ‘productivity’ rather than their scholarship. If this trend continues, nations all over the world will only be producing revenue-generating products and individuals, rather than responsible citizens; responsible citizens who can think for themselves, respect those who are different and understand others’ sufferings and needs. On the other hand, the imaginative and creative capability, the humanistic aspects of scientific research, and the capacity for rigorous critical thinking will diminish. The value of education will be lost. 獲 委任為香港中文大學第七任校 長，我感到無比榮幸，又感到 兢兢業業。創辦這所大學的， 是一群以弘揚中國文化與思想為己任的 學者，他們以無比的熱情教育年輕人成 為成熟和負責任的成人。這些前輩先賢 指出，要令我們的國家和世界變得更進 步更美好，科學與技術固然重要，但人 文學科也不可或缺。他們憑着這些信念， 在六十多年前為這所大學奠下穩固的 根基。 中文大學在歷任校長的英明領導下，成 為亞洲頂尖的研究型綜合大學。我們引 以為傲的雙語雙文化傳統、融會東西文 化的深厚人文主義精神、堅定推行的通 識和全人教育，以及藉着書院提供的獨 特生活教育和關顧，在過去近半個世紀 令我們屹立於世界一流學府之林。但是， 我們今天面對前所未有的挑戰。 全球的大學教育正在急遽改變。世界各 國埋首於追逐經濟發展；推動學者做研 究的是資源，而非對知識的好奇；大學重 視排名，而忽略培育年輕的靈魂的使命； 教師的回報主要取決於他們的「生產 力」，而非學養，凡此種種，都令危機悄 然出現。如果這個趨勢持續，世界各國就 只會製造出汲汲於利的成品和個人，而 不是有主見、尊重見解不同於己者、能洞 察別人的需要，以及有悲天憫人心腸的 負責任公民。同時，想像力和創造力、科 學研究的人文內涵，以及慎思明辨的能 力將逐漸喪失。教育的價值也會湮沒。 沈祖堯教授講辭 Address by Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung SBS, MB BS, PhD, MD, FRCP (London), FRCP (Edinburgh), FRCP (Glasgow), FRACP, FAGA, FACG, FHKCP, FHKAM (Medicine)