Newsletter No. 2

CUHK Newsletter Vol 1 No. 2 January 1990 中 1 大 I 通 I說 訊 It's Congregation Day The University held its 39th congregation for the con- ferment of first degrees at the University Mall on the afternoon of 7th December, 1989. By 1.30 p.m. on that day, the mall was already crowded with graduates wearing faculty gowns and carrying colourful bouquets, posing for pictures with chirpy friends and smiling parents. At around 3 p.m., His Excellency the Governor and Chancellor of the University, Sir David Wilson, arrived with Lady Wilson by helicopter and the graduation ceremony immediately began. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles K. Kao, addressed the congregation before the faculty deans presented candidates to the Chancellor one by one for admission to their first degrees. A total of 1,345 graduates received their degrees, including 309 Bachelors of Arts, 271 Bachelors of Business Administration, 101 Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelors of Surgery, 315 Bachelors of Science, and 349 Bachelors of Social Science. The whole ceremony ended at about 4.15 p.m. After the ceremony, guests and parents were treated to a tea-reception and outstanding graduates were introduced to the Chancellor and Lady Wilson, who stayed on the campus until about 5 p.m. It was es- timated that some 3,000 graduates, parents and guests attended the congregation. Three Major Tasks and One Major New Policy In his address at the 39th congregation, the Vice-Chancellor congratulated the graduating class of 1989 and reminded them of the many challenges that lay ahead of them. He also indicated the University's readiness to respond positively to the Governor's call in his recent policy statement made at the Legislative Council for expansion in the tertiary education sector. Professor Kao then went on to describe three major tasks that the University had set itself to undertake and one major new policy that had been introduced. First, the credit-unit based curriculum would be thoroughly reviewed to improve its flexibility in accommodating a larger number of in-coming students with a probably greater spread of abilities. Secondly, linkages with local and overseas academic and other institutions would be strengthened to allow for more opportunities of academic ex- change and joint research. Lastly, research institutions would be set up with the explicit purpose of serving as the infrastructure necessary for the promotion and operation of new industries in Hong Kong. The major new policy concerns the recruitment and retention of I