Newsletter No. 374

2 No. 374, 19.3.2011 F rom mid-February to early March, Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Benjamin W. Wah, Provost; and Pro-Vice-Chancellors of CUHK were busy attending a series of events to disseminate to staff members the latest information on theUniversity’s preparation for the transition to a 3+3+4 curriculum, and to consult their views. The new 3+3+4 normative curriculum will come into operation in September 2012 and CUHK will admit an additional 3,000 undergraduates. In addition to revolutionary reform in curriculum and admission, many logistic arrangements need to be made, including those related to canteen service, transportation, and classroom allocation. Professor Wah said, ‘CUHK staff are an important asset to the University. A smooth transition will depend critically on our academic and non-academic staff working together to provide the best education experience for our students in 2012 and beyond.’ The series of events were: meeting with representatives of the three staff associations and unions on 15 February, open forums for teaching staff on 28 February, for non- teaching staff on 4 March, and management briefing and fellowship dinner for Terms A non-teaching staff on 2 March. A total of several hundred staff members took part. Those who were unable to attend can later visit the website ( www.provost.cuhk.edu.hk/prvo/ ) for the contents. They were addressed by the Vice-Chancellor or by the Provost with Prof. Kenneth Young, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, presenting the new curriculum; Prof. Jack Cheng, Pro- Vice-Chancellor, introducing the admission process and student support; Prof. Michael Hui, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, reporting on funding and resources; Prof. P.C. Ching, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Prof. Fung Tung, Associate Pro- Vice-Chancellor, giving an account of capital projects and campus transport. Professor Wah added that although the University has made exceptional progress in preparation, many challenges still lie ahead. He said, ‘Our preparation does not stop in 2012. We expect to continue to enhance the curriculum, with feedback obtained from students and staff. In short, only through the keen professionalism of our staff that we will be able to provide the best possible education experience for our students.’ Mr. George Jor, senior instructor in the English Language Teaching Unit, was one of the participants of the forum held on 28 February. He said, ‘I found the forum useful. It says a lot about the determination and years of preparation the Chinese University has made to get ready for the 二 月中至三月初， 沈祖堯校長和 華雲生常務副校長率領 一眾副校長，馬不停蹄 的出席連串活動，發放 有關新學制籌備進展 的資訊，聆聽教職員意 見。 2012年9月，大學課程將 改為四年制，中文大學 將多錄取三千名新生， 除了課程及收生要求大 革新外，尚有很多配套 及細節需要妥善處理， 例如膳堂設施、交通安 排及課室使用等。 華雲生常務副校長表示：「教職員是大學珍貴的資產。毋 庸置疑，要使大學順利過渡新學制，實有賴全體教職員攜 手努力，一同為2012年及以後的學生創造最理想的學習經 驗。」 大學領導層於2月15日與三個職工會會晤，於2月28日和 3月4日分別為教學同事和非教學同事設立簡報會，以及 於3月2日傍晚為甲類職位非教學同事舉辦簡報會兼晚餐 會。出席同事合共數百，未能出席者，也可稍後透過網頁 （ www.provost.cuhk.edu.hk/prvo/ ） 了解簡報及問答 討論。 這些活動均由校長或常務副校長主持，楊綱凱副校長講述 四年制課程，鄭振耀副校長介紹入學及學生支援，許敬文 副校長報告撥款及資源，而大型建築項目及校園交通，則 由程伯中副校長及馮通協理副校長介紹。 華雲生教授補充說三三四的籌備工作進展相當不俗，但 未來仍有很多挑戰，他續稱：「大學的準備工作不拘囿於 2012，我們將繼續聽取教職員及學生的意見，不斷改進新 課程。總括而言，教職員熱誠專業，必能為學生提供最佳 的學習體驗。」 出席2月28日簡報會的英語教學單位高級導師左治強先生 說：「我認為簡報會很有用，會上講述了面對新學制這挑 戰，大學已作了經年準備，改革決心堅定不移。此外，我亦 清晰知道整個構思，以及全面掌握其準備工作。這亦是我 首次親睹校長、常務副校長，以及五位副校長一起出席教 職員活動。」 除了上述活動，大學也於3月2日中午舉行別開生面的聯 誼聚會。校長邀請了中大校董、前警務處處長李明逵先 生出席，教他烹調家鄉餃子，然後與常務副校長、數位副 校長和近百中大同事無拘無束地在新亞書院雲起軒共晉 午餐。 溝通 的 藝術 Honouring the Art of Communication 一所擁有六千多員工的院校，要上情下達、下情上達，必要有良好的溝通，尤其是面對三三四學制 改革這要動員全校的轉變時，全體持份者對現況的掌握，能構建堅實的互信基礎，凝聚眾心， 向着同一目標邁進。大學 最 近便透過簡報會及聯誼活動，促進全體同仁就新學制的溝通。 Good communication is vital to the success of an institution of over 6,000 staff, especially when faced with a university-wide issue such as the 3+3+4 education reform. Fully-informed stakeholders can help to build a solid foundation for mutual understanding which will enable all levels of the University to work towards the same goals. To this end, the University recently organized several formal and informal activities for the purpose of enhancing communication on the 3+3+4 reform. changes ahead and the challenges of 2012. It helped us to understand the road map for the 3+3+4 development and gave us the most comprehensive picture of the preparation already made. I have never seen the Vice- Chancellor, Provost and the five Pro-Vice-Chancellors in one meeting open to all academic staff.’ In additional to the events mentioned above, the University also held an entirely new sort of activity for building rapport with staff. During lunch-time on 2 March, Professor Sung invited Mr. Lee Ming-kwai Dick, CUHK council member and former Commissioner of Police, to teach him how to make Chinese dumplings, in the presence of close to 100 members of the University. Then the Vice- Chancellor, the Provost and the Pro- Vice-Chancellors had a relaxing and jovial lunch with staff at Yun Chi Hsien in New Asia College.