Newsletter No. 280

University Council Decides to Establish Two New Colleges T he Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong decided on 23rd May 2006 to establish two new colleges, and will proceed to make plans for their development. Prof. Lawrence J. Lau affirmed his commitment to develop and strengthen the college system soon after he was installed as vice-chancellor. To cater for the increase in student enrolment in 2012, CUHK had proposed to establish new colleges in its Strategic Plan last October. This was adopted by the University Council in January 2006 after many rounds of discussions. Extensive consultation on new colleges was conducted through 18 briefings and forums. The University Council approved a set of guidelines for moving towards this goal: the University should plan for one to two small colleges (300-600 students each) that are fully residential with communal dining arrangements, and one or two medium-sized colleges (1,200 students each) that would be partially residential. To accommodate about 3,000 more undergraduates upon reversion to a four-year curriculum, more colleges will have to be established. The University is of the view that relatively small colleges are more conducive to intimate interaction among students and staff, and capable of providing pastoral care and an environment for whole-person education. It was also noted that in many successful examples of college systems, such as Oxford, Cambridge and Yale, colleges are typically small, with say 400-500 students each —much lower than the average enrolment of existing colleges on campus. Hence, these universities also have more colleges compared to CUHK. Two New Colleges The University is pleased that benefactors committed to quality higher-education share its vision, and have offered donations to help bring these plans to reality. The University Council approved on 23rd May 2006: 9 the acceptance of a donation of HK$100 million from The Morningside Foundation and Morningside Education Foundation to establish Morningside College, which will cater for 300 students on a fully residential and communal dining basis. ® the acceptance of a donation of HK$170 million from The S. H. Ho Foundation to establish S. H. Ho College, which will cater for 600 students on a fully residential and communal dining basis. The mission of the new colleges is to foster an intimate and collegial community where students and academic staff l earn, share and grow intellectually; to provide an environment for congenial college life and learning for students; to provide pastoral care and whole-person education including general education for students; to broaden and to internationalize the students' perspective through college formal and non-formal education programmes. In particular, Morningside College will seek to cultivate among students a commitment to serve the community of Hong Kong, China and the world. S. H. Ho College will seek to cultivate among its students a commitment to personal responsibility and integrity which will lay the foundation for contributions to society and an enriching life. Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, vice-chancellor, said 'The Chinese University of Hong Kong takes great pride in its college system, which with its intimate environment for interaction and learning, has contributed in very significant ways to the quality of the students through general education and informal learning. The University is very pleased that its vision to create such a supportive environment for young people to learn and grow together has won the enthusiastic and generous endorsement of benefactors. I am very encouraged by the overwhelming support, and wish to express the University's gratitude to The Morningside Foundation and Morningside Education Foundation, as well as The S. H. Ho Foundation for their munificent donations. I hope that the intimate environment of these new and relatively small colleges will foster close relationship among students and staff, and help students to learn and grow. Together with the four existing colleges, there will be a spectrum of choices for students to select the type of experience that they prefer.' The Chan family has long been a benefactor of higher education. Dr. Gerald Chan, director of The Morningside Foundation and Morningside Education Foundation, and a CUHK Council member, said, 'Education is the key to the future development of any society. I encourage today's young people to apply themselves to excel in their studies, broaden their intellectual horizon, acquire a global perspective, and affirm a commitment to serve the community. In the future, whether they live in Hong Kong, mainland China or abroad, they would become positive contributors to society.' The S. H. Ho Foundation has also been a generous benefactor of CUHK over the years. The S. H. Ho Foundation was established by the late Dr. S. H. Ho. Dr. David Tzu Cho Ho, chairman of The S. H. Ho Foundation, and the Ho family said, 'Dr. S. H. Ho has always been keen to give back to society. The foundation shares the educational vision of CUHK in establishing S. H. Ho College, and the donation fulfils the wish of Dr. Ho to contribute to the education of young people in a way that would mould their character for the benefit of society.' Planning Committees The University Council has also approved the establishment of planning committees, one for each new college, to take charge of the detailed planning in order to be ready for full operation before 2012. The planning committees will, through a variety of channels, solicit advice from members of the University. The University has established a task force to coordinate among the colleges and the University, so that all parties will be able to work together most effectively for the benefit of students. E-NEWSLETTER ABSTRACT Volume 3 No. 8 CUHK Confers Eight Honorary Fellowships At The Chinese University's Fifth Honorary Fellowship Conferment Ceremony, honorary fellowships were con f e r r ed on e i ght distinguished persons who have been closely associated with the University, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the University and the community. Dr. Edgar Cheng, chairman of the University Council, presided at the ceremony which was held on 15th May at Lee Hysan Concert Hall, Esther Lee Building. The honorees are Dr. Chen Fong Ching, Mr. Cheng Ming Fun, Paul, Mr. Fok Chun Wan, Ian, Mr. Ho Man Sum, Dr. Ho Tzu-leung, Mr. Hui Hon Chung, Stanley, Mr. Lau Sai Yung, and Mr. Lee Ting Chang, Peter. Bright Ideas of CUHK Students Win Hong Kong Public Policy Innovation Award Two CUHK teams were the 2nd runners-up (Youth Sector) of the Hong Kong Public Policy Innovation Award 2005—06: • 'Medical Service Concern Group', formed by under- graduate students, Lee Ho- kei, Kong Tin-chun, Si Bao- ling, and Tina Chan Yee- ching, with project 'Medical Service up North'; and • 'Evidence-based Traditional Chinese Medicine', formed by Ph.D. student Vincent Chung (School of Public Health) and HKU M.Phil, student Wendy Wong (Family Medicine Unit). The awards presentation ceremony held on 6th May 2006 was officiated by the Honourable Tsang Yok-sing, non-official member of the Executive Council, HKSAR. For details, please visit http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/enews/. 中 大 通 訊 CUHK Newsletter No. 280 4th June 2006 1