Newsletter No. 273

Vice-Chancel lor 's Sp r i ng Recept ion for the Med i a T he University invited members of the media to a spring reception with Prof. Lawrence J. Lau ( r i g ht 2), vice-chancellor, Prof. Kenneth Young ( l e ft 2), Prof. Pak-wai Liu (right 1), and Prof. Jack Cheng ( l e ft 1), pro-vice-chancellors of CUHK, at the Vice-Chancellor's Residence on 5th February. Details of the University's future development were discussed including strategic development of five academic areas, enhancing quality education, establishment of a fifth college, and construction of new buildings and hostels. Tomson Group Donates HK$3.5 Mi l l ion to CUHK T he University received a generous donation of HK$3.5 million from the Tomson Group at a ceremony held on 16th January 2006 at the University Administration Building. HK$2.5 million will be used to support Tomson Group Scholarships for non-local students and HK$1 million to support the Hong Kong Mood Disorders Centre of the Faculty of Medicine. Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, vice-chancellor of the University, expressed his gratitude to the Tomson Group. Mr. Albert Tong, executive director of the group, said that the group has been supporting development on the mainland since the early 1990s and may consider regular sponsorships for mainland students in the future. Prof. Lawrence J. Lau presenting a souvenir to Mr. Albert Tong (right) Japanese Consul-General Examines Japan's Diplomatic Policy at CUHK O ver 200 CUHK staff and students, consuls-general, and members of the Japanese business sector attended a lecture delivered by Mr. Takanori Kitamura, consul- general of Japan in Hong Kong, on 'Japan's Diplomacy: Consistency and Evolution' on 18th January in Cho Yiu Conference Hall of the University. In his lecture, Mr. Kitamura reviewed some of the major diplomatic issues that Japan has faced in this region in the last one or two years and explored the background to these issues, starting from the end of World War II. Born In 1946, Mr. Kitamura joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1972 after obtaining an MA from Keio University. He has served in different divisions of the m i n i s t ry i n c l u d i ng Overseas Pub l ic Relations Division, China and Mongolia Division, Eastern Europe Division, and Research and Programming Division. He was also Deputy Chief of Protocol. He assumed responsibilities as consul-general of Japan in Hong Kong in 2004. Before that, he had served in different positions in the Embassy of Japan in China, the Philippines, and Greece; the consulate-general of Japan in Hong Kong; and the permanent mission of Japan to the United Nations. Mr. Kitamura was also managing director of planning and e v a l u a t i on d e p a r t me nt of the Japan International Cooperation A g e n c y , and senior r e s e a r c h fellow of the Japan Institute of International Affairs. Graduate Law Centre Established in Commercial Hub T he CUHK Graduate Law Centre of the School of Law will begin operations in the summer of 2006. The new 35,000 sq. ft. centre will occupy the entire second floor of the Bank of America Tower in Central. Equipped with state-of-the-art teaching facilities such as a moot court, it will serve members of the community and legal professionals who wish to further their legal education at CUHK. The centre will enable the school to provide taught postgraduate programmes in town including, in 2006, Juris Doctor (JD), Masters of Laws (LLM) in Chinese Business Law, LLM in Common Law, and LLM in International Economic Law; and in 2007, Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL). The prime location of the centre will reinforce the bonds between the school, the legal profession and the community, and create unrivalled opportunities for legal and law-related research. It will also enable students to participate in activities such as round-table discussions on topics of importance, seminars and lectures delivered by legal practitioners, court visits, and formal and informal meetings with representatives of the profession. Founding members of the School of Law met the media at the CUHK Graduate Law Centre on 11th January 2006 1 No. 273 19th February 2006