The Role of HKU: Education and Economic Development in Asia

1. The Role of HKU: Education and Economic Development in Asia Professor Lap-Chee TsuiVice-ChancellorProfessor Richard Y. C. WongDeputy Vice-Chancellor The University of Hong KongMay 5, 2005, Yale Club, New York (Excerpt)

2. Role of HKU (1) • The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the oldest university in the region: • Comprehensive, research-led • Whole person training and promote life-long learning • 20,000 enrollments • 10,000 undergrad, 10,000 postgrad • The major education provider for the 7M people in HK • Teachers from 47 countries, students from 45 countries; student exchange with 20 countries • A true international university in China.

3. Role of HKU (2) • To equip our students, we send over 700 students out for exchange programs and internship each year. What this means is that 20% of our students have the opportunity to spend one semester or one year outside of Hong Kong. In exchange, we have 300 students from all over the world each year. • In the knowledge-based economy, the single largest and most valuable asset of Hong Kong is undoubtedly its human capital. • Therefore, in order to make a difference for China, HKU must achieve a world-class standing, with strong research disciplines and academic programs.

4. How does a university contribute to society? To the region and country? • I believe that there are basically two ways: One, through its research and, second, through its students • In terms of research, universities will always be involved in curiosity-driven research whose relevance may not be immediately discernible. • But increasingly, there is demand for research that is locally relevant and that contributes to the economic development of the region. • Universities are partners to the local, regional and national governments and play an important role in the strategic development of the region. • However, some of our most notable contributions to society come from our tradition of world-class research. Let me give you some examples.

5. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) • SARs swept through more than 20 countries in a very short period of time, showing that surveillance and control of emerging diseases are matters of great importance and urgency. • Colleagues in the Microbiology Dept were the first to identify the SARS’ causative viral agent, which happened to be a new strain of coronavirus. • Avian or bird flu hit the region in 1997 and 2001. The experience gained during these period means that now our colleagues are frequently asked to help solve the problems in nearby countries. • The outstanding work has been recognized by the Chinese Government which appointed us to be the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases. It is the first and only such laboratory to be established outside mainland China and gives us a strategic advantage in controlling emerging diseases.

6. Other research excellence • Our group at the Genome Research Centre has led the Hong Kong research team that contributed 2.5% of the data in the International Haplotype Mapping (HapMap) project (in fact, I will be representing the team to attend the next, and probably last, consortium meeting in Long Island to draw a conclusion to this highly successful consortium work. • Our Medical Faculty, being one of the three founding faculties of the University where the Father of Modern China, Dr. Sun Yet-San, graduated in 1892, has been the star faculty of the university. One of their many contributions has been in the area of hepatobiliary surgery. The HKU team, which has been led by ST Fan and CM Lo, performed the first liver transplant in Hong Kong in 1991, made significant advances in live donor transplant, and maintained a success rate of over 90%. • We are also noted for our work on wireless communications and networking. The team is led by Victor Li and TS Ng, both IEEE Fellows and internationally recognized for their work in the development of next generation wireless multimedia networks, wireless internet, network securities and applications. • We also have a worldwide recognition for our work in synthetic chemistry, such as molecular functional materials, organic optoelectronics, drug design and discovery, chemical biology, and green chemistry and catalysis; our star professors are CM Che, Vivian Yam and Dan Yang. • Being ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement among the top 40 universities in the world, 29th for Arts & Humanities, and the first in Hong Kong.

7. Faculty of Law • The faculty has just celebrated its 35th anniversary last year; it has contributed significantly to the sound legal system in Hong Kong • Last year the faculty was invited to host the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Asia-Pacific training centre, with the first-ever Asia-Pacific Regional Trade Policy Course co-organised by the WTO and HKU, to provide cross-disciplinary training for government officials in the region. • Just to report another piece of good news, this is what the Dean of Law, Professor Johannes Chan wrote me in his e-mail yesterday (Wednesday): • “ We participated in the ELSA WTO Law International Mooting Competition last week at Geneva and was placed 2nd out of 18 law school teams from around the world. We defeated very strong teams from University of Maastrict and the University of Amsterdam, both representing the Netherlands, in the first round, and beat New York University Law School representing the United States in the semi-final. We lost marginally to City University of London in the Grand Final, whose team consists of top Oxbridge graduates doing the Common Professional Exam Course in England. One of our students was also awarded the best orator in the Final Round. • This is already the second major success this year in our international mooting competition. In March we participated in the Lawasia Mooting on Intellectual Property held at Gold Coast and we were the champion and won the best mooter award. Some of our competitors are representatives of national team (including Australia, Malaysia and India). • This is another testimony that our students are on par excellence with the best students in any top law school in the world.

8. Fundraising (1) • There is actually another way to measure the success of a university and that is its community support. • As the government block grants, which used to account for over 80% of the university funding, are getting smaller, we must develop our own capacity in getting resources from other means. • Fundraising, although a very common practice here North America, has become a new vocabulary among the tertiary education sector in Hong Kong. • So, with my colleagues at the Development and Alumni Affairs Office, we have been working hard to convince members of the public, not just our local public, that HKU is one they would want to support. • As fundraising is a mature culture here, I have much to learn from our colleagues during this trip.

9. Fundraising (2) • I would give you two examples that support the motto that I share with my colleagues back home – that is, in our business– money supports only excellence. • Just before we left HK, I received a letter from someone whom I never met before. She said her brother passed away some time ago in Hong Kong and left her the money. It was a modest sum (USD100,000), but she insisted on donating back to HK. She wanted to support the State Key Laboratory on Emerging Infectious Diseases at HKU. We managed to communicate with her and met with her here yesterday. She said she and her husband were impressed by our work that was truly of international importance. She gave us the cheque at a local Chinese restaurant last night.

10. HKD$1B donation • And, also during this trip, I have received another piece of extremely exciting news. This time, the magnitude is much larger. I am overjoyed to announce that I have just received a pledge from the Li Ka Shing Foundation for a benefaction of HKD1 billion (USD128M) in support of HKU’s development. • This unprecedented gift not only represents a strong endorsement of our excellence but also sets a milestone for philanthropy in Hong Kong. The benefaction will propel the University to new heights to push forward the boundaries of learning. • Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the University, to express our sincerest gratitude to Mr Li Ka Shing and the Li Ka Shing Foundation for their magnanimity and generous support. • Well done team!

11. Concluding… • Now, let me get back to today’s business. On our visit to our alumni in the West Coast last November, I spoke on the role that HKU could play in the training of human resource for the east-meet-west education highway. That was a very much philosophical talk. On future trips, I thought we should feature some of our many star faculties and, in fact, I did not have to look very far. • One of our delegates here today is Professor CF Lee, Chair Professor of Geotechnical Engineering. He has just finished two weeks on the Fulbright Visiting Scholars Program, speaking on the Harbour project in Hong Kong, slope management (a highly significant problem in Hong Kong, and his work in the Three Gorges project in China. His recently working on an tsunami early warning system for the South China region. Believe it or not, Prof Lee is more known for his work on Buddhism in Hong Kong.