Newsletter No. 77

Final Phase of VC Search C l o s e to a thousand CUHK students and staff gathered at the University Mall on 19th October for four hours of dialogue with Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, candidate for vice-chancellorship of the University. Prof. Joseph C.K. Lee of the Search Committee for the Appointment of the Next Vice-Chancellor was also present to explain the committee's recommendation of Prof. Li as successor to Prof. Charles K. Kao who will retire on 31st July 1996. Two days later, on 21st October, the University Council decided at a meeting held in the Cho Yiu Conference Hall to appoint Prof. Li as vice-chancellor with effect from 1st August 1996. Prof. Li's appointment and profile was subsequently announced in a special issue o f the CUHK Newsletter published on 21st October. Wei Lun Lecture by Wor ld Famous Cl inical Pharmacist P r o f . Moses Chow, professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of Connecticut and director of drug information service at Hartford Hospital, drew attention to the lack of research in drug therapy for cardiac arrest in a Wei Lun lecture entitled 'Improving the Pharmacotherapy of Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Challenge for the Present and Future'. The lecture was held in LT6 of Lady Shaw Building on 13th October. According to Prof. Chow, both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and definitive drug therapy are imperative in saving life during cardiac arrest. However, improvements in these measures have been hampered by ethical restrictions and difficulties in conducting studies on the effect of drugs on human subjects during CPR. Cardiac arrest occurs in as many as 300,000 to 400,000 people a year in the United States, but there has been no breakthrough in therapy in the past 30 years. Prof. Chow has contributed significantly to research in clinical pharmacy for the improvement of drug therapy in patients. His early work in cardiac arrest led to changes in the dosage of lidocaine recommended by the American Heart Association. He is at present investigating the role of haemoglobin in improving resuscitation. Firs t and Last Round of Allocations fro m VC's Discretionary Fund for Excellence 14 Projects Supported in 1994-95 The Vice-Chancellor's Discretionary Fund for Excellence (VCDFE) was introduced in July 1994 to support projects that are designed to improve academic/educational quality for achieving greater excellence at the University. Thirty-four applications were received from various units and staff members and their proposals covered a wide range of disciplines. The applications were considered by the Resource Allocation Committee, who had consulted internal and external experts where necessary. A total of $8.79 million was allocated to 14 projects during the year: Project # Recipient Duration Grant 1. To support a book project on the study of identity Dr. Kwok Siu Tong, Dept. of History 3 years $82,600* 2. To set up the Hong Kong Education Information Network Dept. of Information Engineering 2 years $690,000 3. To support RIH's research programmes Research Institute for the Humanities 3 years $3,000,000 4. To support the publication of The Twenty-First Century Institute of Chinese Studies 6 years $2,000,000 5. To develop a Chinese Database Management System Dept. of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management 3 years $1,364,000 6. To acquire and install a Computer- Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system Dept. of Journalism & Communication 1 year $150,000 7. To support the production of the Intensive Care Manual — 4th edition Prof. Teik Oh, Dept. of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care 11/2years $60,000 8. To provide top-up salaries for the appointment of a visiting professor Dept. of Decision Sciences & Managerial Economics 5 months $139,000 9. To support the appointment of a professor in 1995-96 Dept. of Biology up to 1 year pending appointment 10. To support the co-production of the Asian Economic Journal with Osaka International University Hong Kong Institute of Asia- Pacific Studies 5 years $300,000 11. To support the publication of the Hong Kong Disease Atlas Dept. of Community & Family Medicine 11/2years $155,000@ 12. To set up a Telephone Survey Research Laboratory Hong Kong Institute of Asia- Pacific Studies 6 months $588,000 13. To participate in the Urban Design Competition for the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing Dept. of Architecture 61/2months $150,000 14. To support the appointment of a visiting scholar Faculty of Engineering 6 months $108,000 Total amount allocated: $8,786,600+ Notes: # The projects are listed in chronological order according to application dales. * Special paid leave was granted to Dr. Kwok by the Academic Staff Review Committee in accordance with VCDFE guidelines. @ Proceeds of sales are to be returned to VCDFE. Discontinuation f r om 1995 - 96 With the introduction of a number of new internal funding channels for the 1995-98 triennium which were not available when the VCDFE was first implemented, the Resource Allocation Committee has decided to discontinue the scheme from 1995-96. V i ce -Chane l l o r 's D i s c r e t i o n a ry Fund f r om 1995 - 96 On the other hand, starting from 1995-96, a sum of $5 million per annum will be reserved from the block grant for allocation at the discretion of the vice-chancellor to initiatives that cannot meet the funding criteria elsewhere but are worthy of support. Applications can be submitted via the faculty dean or head of the unit to the vice-chancellor for consideration. Interested parties should however exhaust all possible internal and external funding sources before they consider applying to this Vice-Chancellor's Discretionary Fund.