Newsletter No. 11

CUHK Newsletter Cheung suddenly saw a heavy lorry heading towards the University. He cleverly followed it closely, so that the lorry would clear the water away and pave a path for his car. They eventually returned to the campus safe and sound. Brother Yick has few other exciting stories to tell. In fact, his main daily problem is how to kill time while waiting for the vice-chancellor to return from meetings. He generally passes the time reading books and newspapers. Occasionally he walks to while away the hours. Being confined in a car so much (luring his working hours, Mr. Cheung likes to go hiking with his friends in his spare time. In this way he has explored most of Hong Kong's hilly regions over the past 10 years. 'Hiking is the best way to keep fit ,' Mr. Cheung says excitedly. 'We usually set off as early as six in the morning, and don't return until dusk. I have found it most refreshing and relaxing to enjoy the beautiful scenery of nature with my friends.' However, this sort of activity is not always enthusiastically supported at home. To prevent Mrs. Cheung from complaining, Mr. Cheung spares some time on holidays to accompany her to the market, or to a restaurant to enjoy Chinese dimsum delicacies. Side Lights This is the vice-chancellor's car • The greyish-silver Volvo was purchased last January. The replacement of automobiles is usually handled by the Working Group on Campus Transport, who will of course take the vice-chancellor's preference into consideration when they decide which car to buy. • The plate-number CU7803 was obtained by chance some years back. The University has since decided to keep it for the vice-chancellor's car because CU aptly stands for the Chinese University. • Unlike the bursar, the registrar and the secretary, the vice-chancellor has not been allotted any reserved parking space on campus. Why? Probably because his car is always on the move and always has a chauffeur at hand. A dm i n i s t r a t i ve S t a f f L u n c h e on with Prof. Y. M. Yeung as Guest Speaker The University Secretariat has recently r ev i ved the tradition of organizing administrative staff luncheons to provide a chance for administrative staff in different units to get acquainted with one another and to learn more about new developments in the University. The first administrative staff luncheon in 1990 was held at the BFC Dining Room on 14th September. Close to 50 staff members attended and Prof. Yeung Yue-man, director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, gave a talk on his recent visit to institutions of higher learning in the United Kingdom and Canada. Prof. Yeung first explained the objectives of his six-week trip: to understand how university administration in these two countries was organized to maximize efficiency; to study the process of academic development and promotion of research; and to interact with like- minded academics in social science, geography and Asia-Pacific studies. He then highlighted the challenges faced by many universities in the UK and Canada, i.e. the need to maintain and upgrade standards in the face of insufficient funding and increased accountability, and the need to attract young and able graduates to pursue academic careers. These problems, Prof. Yeung explained, would be aggravated by the retirement in the early 21st century of many present academics in the middle and senior ranks. Prof. Yeung also gave an interesting account of a sophisticated multi-purpose building of the Geography Department in the University of Cambridge; the method of funding by the Universities Funding Co u n c il (the U K equivalent of the UPGC); the Scottish education system; and how the registry at Dalhousie University in Canada functions. He concluded by saying that universities in Hong Kong are in a better position in terms of government support and ‘What we really have to do is to make good use o f the money .' The next administrative staff luncheon will be held near Christmas and Prof. Charles K. Kao has agreed to be the guest speaker. 7