Newsletter No. 54

Vol. 5 5 No.54 May 1994 Academi c Dishonest y Won't Be Tolerated In a statement issued verball y on 13t h April a t the Senate meeting , th e vice-chancellor stresse d th e University's determination t o stem any form o f academi c dishonest y o n campus, i f it did exist. 'Professiona l integrity i s as importan t a s excellence in research, ' Prof . Charle s Ka o said. The statemen t wa s made i n response to recent report s in the loca l press abou t academi c malpractic e in some othe r institution s o f highe r education. Ther e hav e bee n allegations about plagiarism , an d about senior academic s takin g undu e credi t for researc h wor k don e b y junior lecturers, mainlan d academics , and postgraduate students . 'If member s o f thi s universit y should suffe r fro m simila r act s of dishonesty, o r happen t o know o f such academi c abuses , the y ca n use established channel s t o report suc h cases, whic h wil l the n b e handled according t o establishe d procedure,' the vice-chancello r tol d the senators. Aggrieved partie s can lodge thei r complaints wit h departmen t heads , faculty deans, and the vice-chancello r himself. Vice-Chancellor Prof . Charle s Kao will soo n receive a n honorary Docto r of Science degree from the University of Durham, UK . Durham's vice-chancello r Prof . Evelyn Ebswort h wil l com e to Hong Kong t o present th e honorar y degre e on 21s t Ma y a t a specia l ceremony . On the same occasion Master of Business Administration degree s wil l be awarded t o Hong Kon g student s wh o have taken the Durham course by open distance learning . Prof. Ka o is credited wit h heralding a ne w er a in communications with th e introductio n o f optical fibr e for communicatio n applications . His research ha s made possibl e muc h faster communicatio n betwee n individuals and peoples, an d stimulate d the growt h o f a multi-billio n dolla r telecommunications market . 'Department ' to Become th e Basic Academic Unit Ever sinc e th e founding o f the University, bot h 'board s o f studies ' and 'departments ' hav e existed . A board o f studie s i s heade d b y a director o f studies an d i s defined by The Chines e Universit y o f Hon g Kong Ordinance ' a s the University' s basic academi c unit . A department is part o f the administrative structur e within a faculty an d is headed b y a department chairman . Broadly speaking , th e dutie s of board s o f studie s ar e academically oriented wherea s thos e o f the departments ar e administrativel y oriented. After a majo r revie w o f the functions and roles of the two bodies , the Senat e recentl y propose d t o the University Counci l tha t th e 'department' be formall y mad e th e basic academic uni t in the University. Thi s will avoi d confusio n an d streamline the academi c structure . Th e Counci l has endorse d th e proposal. Subjec t to the amendment s o f the relevan t statutes o f the Universit y Ordinance , the pla n t o revise th e academi c NO.54MA Y 1994 I