Newsletter No. 243

Vice-Chancello r Prof . Ambrose Kin g to Retir e End o f thi s Mont h P rof.Ambrose K i ng i s retiring a t the end f this month after a f u l l 3 4 years o f service to The Chinese University. During his time a t CUHK, he has served as head of New A s i a Co l l ege ( 1 9 7 7 - 8 5 ), professor o f sociology ( f r om 1983), chairman o f th e Department o f Sociology (1977-89), pro - vice-chancellor ( 1989 - 2002 ), an d vice- chancellor (2002-4). A t the meeting o f the University Council o n 15th June, Council chairman Dr . Edgar Cheng paid tribute t o Prof. King on behalf o f all Council members and thanked h i m fo r hi s loyal service an d outstanding contributions t o the University. In his valedictory address, Dr. Cheng lauded Prof. King for his many splendid achievements during hi s term. These include organizing the 40th anniversary celebrations, identifying the University's development targets for the next decade, launching a school o f law, raising substantial donations and helping t o nurture a new culture o f fundraising on campus, and bringing up-to-date the University's governance structure. He pointed out that the last two years were most challenging for the University community. The SARS epidemic i n 2003 and the government's steep funding cuts posed serious difficulties fo r CUHK. Bu t thanks t o Prof. King's superb leadership and unwavering determination, the University has emerged stronger, more agile, more confident of itself, and better prepared for the challenges ahead. Dr. Cheng also expressed great appreciation of Prof. King's utter devotion t o the University and his selfless commitment t o it s ideals. Finally he wished Prof. King and Mrs. King happiness and good health i n their retirement. The University i s holding a farewell dinner fo r Prof. and Mrs. King on 26th June a t Hotel Conrad. I n attendance w i ll be close t o 600 CUHK staff, University Council members, alumni, students, former vice-chancellors, and other dignitaries and guests. Prof . Lawrenc e Lau t oAssum e Vice-Chancellorshi p in Jul y P rof. Lawrence J. Lau w i ll assume office as vice-chancellor o f the University o n 1st July 2004. Prof. Lau, a distinguished scholar an d visionary educationalist, was Kwok-Ting L i Professor o f Economic Development a t Stanford University prior to joining CUHK. A world-class economist, Prof. Lau has made excellent research achievements i n economic theory, economic growth and development, and the economies o f East Asia. Born in mainland China, Prof. Lau moved to Hong K o ng where h e completed hi s secondary school education with excellent results. He received his BS degree i n physics and economics, with Great Distinction, from Stanford University i n 1964, and his M A and Ph.D. degrees i n economics from the University o f California a t Berkeley i n 1966 and 1969 respectively. He joined the faculty of the Department of Economics a t Stanford University i n 1966 and thus began over 30 years o f a career i n academic research and teaching. Prof. Lau's research areas include econometrics, applied micro economics, agricultural and industrial economics, production and technical reengineering, and the econometric model o f China. He i s a fellow of the Econometric Society and hi s accomplishments ar e we ll recognized o n both sides o f the Taiwan Strait. A widely published scholar, Prof. Lau i s an Overseas Fellow o f Churchill College a t the University o f Cambridge, a n academician o f Academia Sinica, Taiwan, and an honorary member o f the Chinese Academy o f Social Sciences. He has served as a consultant fo r many international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and numerous other public and private organizations. Prof. Lau's appointment means that he w i ll be the University's sixth vice- chancellor who w i ll lead the University into it s fifth decade o f development. Expert sGather t oDiscus sSuppl yChai nManagemen t O ver 10 0 representatives f r om academia, th e government, an d industry attended ' Mo v i ng Towards Virtual Supply Chain Management', a seminar organized b y th e ne w Centre f o r Supply Chain Management o f the University's Faculty o f Business A d m i n i s t r a t i on o n 2 8 t h M a y 2 0 04 a t t h e Intercontinental Ho t el The seminar was sponsored b y the European Commission and L i & Fung Group, an d also supported by the Hong Kong Logistics Association and the Chinese Executive Club. Sharing their insight an d experience w i t h th e participants were Prof. Jeff Yeung, director o f the University's Graduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Dr. Angel Ortiz, professor o f the Polytechnic University o f Valencia i n Spain; Prof. A l b e r to Felice d e Toni, professor o f operations management and vice-dean, Faculty o f Engineering, University o f Udine, Italy; Dr. Jerry Banks, professor emeritus o f the Georgia Institute o f Technology i n the US; M r . Chang K a Mun, director o f L i an d Fung Development (China) Ltd.; Mr . Tommy Lui, general manager of IDS Logistics International; and Mr. Spencer Huang, senior supply chain manager of Astec Power. Prof. Zhao Xiande, director of the Centre for Supply Chain Management, foresaw the need fo r supply chain management fo r Hong Kong's industries. H e and hi s colleagues are close t o completing a 21-month 'Asia V- Chain' project funded b y the European Commission i n collaboration w i th th e University o f Udine and th e Polytechnic University o f Valencia. The project w i l l come up with an advanced supply chain solution model specifically designed for Asia, based on success stories in Europe. Convinced that supply chain management is critical to the competitiveness o f Hong Kong's industries and its continued viability a s a key player i n the Greater Pearl River Delta, the University i s also establishing a research centre i n collaboration with faculty members from the South China University o f Technology an d Tsing Hua University to conduct state-of-the-art research i n supply chain management an d t o promote it s application i n the region through research, consulting and training activities. Prof. Lee Tien-sheng, dean of the Faculty o f Business Administration, Mr. Tommy Lui, general manger o f IDS Logistics International, and Prof. Zhao Xiande, director of the Centre for Supply Chain Management 1 No. 243 19th June 2004