Newsletter No. 4

CUHK Newsletter is efficiently done at the departmental level, the increase in student intake should not pose too much difficulty for the Registry. My feeling is that the department should be the basic unit for all teaching-related functions, and the Registry should function as a coordinator only. • Any particularly difficult problems that you can foresee in your new post? • Difficult problems exist in every post. I do not worry about such problems because I don't think any will be insurmountable. Time and patience are needed for finding solutions. • Will you be relieved ofyour teaching duties once you become the Registrar? • As I have to familiarize myself with the new job, I will not take on any teaching duties in the first year. I may still lead a small research group though. Once I have settled in, and if I find that I can still afford the time, I might teach again. • You have held many administrative appointments beforesuchas dean of the Arts Faculty and director of the Part-time Degree Programmes. Will the experience obtained in such posts be transferrable andapplicable to the new post? • Sure. Such appointments have enabled me to understand the mechanism of the entire university administration. I know who to consult and what areas to pay special attention to when a decision has to be made. • Canyou tell usmore about yourself? We understand thatMrs. Ng and your son emigrated to the US and have been living therefor morethan three years now. How is life without your family around? • Oh, it's miserable. Time crawls like a snail every day between 5 p.m. and dinner time, and I am always at a loss for what to do with my time. Sometimes I read; sometimes I put together jigzaw puzzles. But it is very difficult to while away the time. I know many colleagues on the campus are in a similar situation, and I think we need a club of some sort to tide us over until we can be with our families again. • If you decide toform sucha club and need publicity, perhaps the Newsletter can help. • That's a good idea. The Outgoing Registrar Reminisces about the Past and Looks forward to the Future Time really doesfly, ’ states Professor Yeung Yue-man. 'It's already been four years since I first took up the post of University Registrar.’ ProfessorYeung's term will expire on 18th March. Reviewing his work in retrospect, Professor Yeung says it has been a very big challenge for him. As University Registrar from 1986 ， he has handled three major tasks: planning the joint admissions scheme; revising the credit-unit system; and debating with the Education Commission about the structure of tertiary education as suggested in their No. 3 report. The last issue was the most controversial and has had important implications for the future development of the University. In the heat of the debate during 1987 and 1988 ， Professor Yeung's workload more than doubled because the University's stance was different from that of the Education Commission. He had to seek every chance to state the University's case and to defend its position. At the same time he had to be cautious and diplomatic in discussions on the matter. It was indeed a most trying period, physically and mentally. Professor Yeung recalls. Any regret at all about having taken up the challenge? ‘I fully realized what was in store for me when I accepted the appointment, and nothing was really unexpected. Even though the workload has been heavy and the "battles" tough, I have had the chance to experience the strong backing and staunch support from staff members, students and alumni. Never so strongly before have I sensed the cohesiveness of the university community. It's been a very worthwhile experience,' Professor Yeung says. Has the post brought him any special gains or losses? Professor 2