HKU plans a 10-year, $10 billion upgrade
Winnie Yeung
8 July 2005
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong plans to spend $10 billion on a 10-year improvement plan to turn it into one of the world's great research institutions.

Vice-chancellor Tsui Lap-chee said the university would have to raise at least $3.5 billion itself for the upgrade, which will include tripling the number of professors and postdoctoral fellows and doubling the number of research postgraduate and international students.

He did not say where the rest of the money would come from although he expected the government to share part of the cost.

He said the plan was to uplift HKU - which is six years away from its centenary - from a "good" to a "great" institution and turn it into a world-class research-led university. "Although we're not far from this already," he said.

Professor Tsui said he hoped that the number of professors with endowments would increase from eight to 50 in 10 years.

The endowment system, which was implemented three years ago, accepts donations of at least $10 million from benefactors for a field of research that then bears the donor's name. Each endowment professorship costs at least $20 million, with the donations matched by the government.

The upgrade also includes an expansion of the university's campus in Island West to accommodate more students, and more interdisciplinary classes and research.

Academic buildings and dormitories will be built, with more laboratories, bigger halls and libraries. "We need more space, or else our students will have to have classes on the streets," Professor Tsui joked.

The expansion will cost at least $2.5 billion. Professor Tsui hopes the government will pay two-thirds of the cost. It is expected to be completed by 2011, the year of the university's centenary.

The vice-chancellor said that as well as seeking cash from local wealthy people and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, he would pursue overseas donors. "We will only apply for the ones which match our research fields."

RTHK News:
HKU plans new campus
2006-02-07 HKT 23:28

The University of Hong Kong is planning to build a new campus, at a cost of 2.5 billion dollars, next to its Haking Wong building. Its vice-chancellor Tsui Lap-chee said the government agreed to sponsor half of the sum, while the rest would have to be raised. Work on the project is expected to be completed by 2011. Dr Tsui also said scholarships totalling 5.5 million dollars will be given out in the next three years, with the aim of attracting outstanding students.

HKU growth means 200 more academics
8 February 2006
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong plans to recruit 200 extra academics in the next six years to support its drive to become one of the world's leading research universities.

Up to 300 new "entrance scholarships" to encourage top local and international students to apply to HKU are also being set up, as the university prepares a $2.5 billion campus expansion to accommodate a one-third rise in student numbers with the switch to a four-year-degree programme in 2012.

HKU is due to receive $1.2 billion from the government towards the campus development due to be completed in 2011, which is its centennial year, and will have to raise a further $1.3 billion through private donations.

Vice-Chancellor Tsui Lap-chee said: "We want to be competitive internationally and the staff expansion is a major part of our development plan. To be really first rate, we need people."

He said a good reputation attracted good students, good staff and facilities in a virtuous circle.

Departments could spend up to 40 per cent of their allocation on full professors, who could be offered tenured terms, but the university was keen to recruit more junior staff, who would initially be offered three-year contracts.

A foundation would be set up for the entrance scholarships, to be shared among Form Six students entering university through the Early Admission Scheme, school-leavers with A-levels, mainland students and foreign students. Between 170 and 200 scholarships would be offered this year.

Four architectural consortiums are preparing blueprints for the 45,000-square-metre centennial campus, which the university will consider before selecting one of the groups to build the infrastructure. The site now has a water reservoir, which the university is considering moving underground, and three listed buildings.

Pro vice-chancellor John Malpas said that laboratory subjects including physics, chemistry and engineering would be moved to the new campus, and the faculties of arts, social science and law were likely to move.

I knew I had posted something about HKU's expansion before. Here is the related thread from last summer : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=232803

HKU unveils four visions for $2.5b campus redevelopment
17 February 2006
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong has unveiled four architectural visions for the future expansion of its Pok Fu Lam Road campus.

The masterplans - each developed by an architectural consortium including one local and one international firm - are going on public display inside and outside the university for consultations on the $2.5 billion expansion launched yesterday.

An "iconic" skyscraper at the heart of the campus, a block resembling a giant computer screen perched on a multi-layered study area, and an east-west university walk linking the campus are among novel ideas students and the public are invited to comment on.

The consortiums are LD Asia and Capita Percy Thomas; Leigh and Orange and Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects and Planners (who helped design the University of Chicago); Wong and Ouyang (HK) with Sasaki Associates; and Dennis Lau and Ng Chun Man Architects and Engineers with Skidmore Owings and Merrill, responsible for Harvard and Princeton campuses.

Pro vice-chancellor John Malpas, who is in charge of the development project, said the university was not holding a competition between the four masterplans but a project group would recommend the broad concepts in one of them for further development.

"We will consult with students, staff, alumni and the community on the four plans and how well they meet the criteria we have set," he said.

Groups being consulted include local residents, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Solar Campus, and suggestions from the community that had wide backing would be considered. The university council was due to make a decision by the end of May and one of the consortiums was likely to be invited to take part in the $1 billion site preparation phase.

"Our vision is the university becomes a focal point which regenerates the Western District," Professor Malpas said. "I hope it will regenerate the economy by creating new commercial opportunities."

HKU Centennial Campus to Benefit the University, the Local Community and Hong Kong as a Whole

(Hong Kong, 16 February 2006) The University of Hong Kong (HKU) today unveils the design models developed for its Centennial Campus by four architectural consortia as the highlight of the idea generation stage of the project. The models will be shown to the public in a roving exhibition in the coming weeks. Members of the public are invited to share their views on this important development project for the University and the community as a whole.

Officiating at the press conference today were Mr Jack So, Chairman of Campus Development and Planning Committee, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor and Professor John Malpas, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who is in charge of the campus development project.

'As the first and foremost university in the territory, HKU plays a leading role in guiding and helping Hong Kong master the social and economic changes locally, regionally and internationally,' said Mr Jack So. 'The development of the Centennial Campus and the associated enhanced facilities will enable HKU to play better its role in supporting a knowledge-based society and the community's pursuit of quality of life by providing opportunities for lifelong learning. Also, HKU can serve as a catalyst for international academic engagement, attracting international partnership and serving Hong Kong as Asia's World City. The benefits of the Centennial Campus flows not only to the University but also through to the community at large,' continued Mr So.

Mr Jack So stressed the concept of 'University District', or 'town and gown' in the Centennial Campus project, saying that it is a trend for urban universities worldwide. He said, 'the Centennial Campus project will connect HKU further with the community it lives in, broadening and deepening the dialogues between the two to mutual benefit and the betterment of the entire SAR.'

In line with HKU's vision to be a top global research university, in celebration of its centenary in 2011 and to prepare for the four-year degree curriculum, the Centennial Campus will need to be in place by 2011-2012. Professor Lap-Chee Tsui said, 'in support of our academic vision, we need additional space, a balanced environment and enhanced facilities for all those who learn, work and visit here. The Centennial Campus will be a project for HKU, the local community and Hong Kong as a whole. It will cement Hong Kong's position as the human resource hub in Asia.'

To help the University develop an innovative master plan and concept design for the Centennial Campus and Main Campus, four architectural consortia, each comprising a local and an international architectural firm, are invited to contribute ideas. They are:
- LD Asia / Capita Percy Thomas
- Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers (H.K.) Ltd / Skidmore Owings and Merrill
- Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd./ Sasaki Associates, Inc.
- Leigh & Orange Ltd / Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects & Planners

'HKU is keen on hearing from our stakeholders and has planned to engage all who are interested,' said Professor Malpas. Discussions with various interested parties such as alumni, neighbouring buildings and organisations and environmental groups are underway to ensure suggestions from the community are noted and considered. A roving exhibition on the concept design proposals of the Centennial Campus will also be held in the coming weeks.

According to the current schedule, the detailed design for the Centennial Campus will be finalised in 2006 /2007. Site formation work will commence at the end of the year and construction will begin in 2008. The development of the Centennial Campus is estimated to cost a total of HK$2.5 billion, of which HK$1.2 billion is expected to come from the Government and the balance to be raised by HKU itself.
http://www.hku.hk/eroesite/16022006/photos/IMG_9731.JPG http://www.hku.hk/eroesite/16022006/photos/DSC_5670.JPG
I am not sure whose designs are these ...
http://www.hku.hk/eroesite/16022006/photos/DSC_5662.JPG
Heres a glimpse of L&O plan

The four Designs will be on display at the University, belchers and Hong Kong Station until Mid-April ...

so are they still designing? or is the design chosen already?

this is quite exciting altho it'd b hell for the students during the construction :-(

so are they still designing? or is the design chosen already?

this is quite exciting altho it'd b hell for the students during the

construction :-(

That's very true, the students need to sacrifice their learning environment for the future of HKU. It would be hell for students to concentrate themselves on study with such a harsh noise generated by construction site.

By the way, the air around the campus is expected to be more polluted, but it's all for the brighter future.

True. But many don't feel that way :-( i mean it's not like it matters, I support HKU expanding, but being a student @ UCLA rite now with all the constructions going on, it's very annoying. What's worst is that all the constructions are for the sciences, and I'm a humanities major. Couldn't b more annoyed :-/

Well at least it's perched on a hill... They should take advantage of that and create a urban oasis, a western university with lots of greenery and open lawns :-D

And start encouraging students to sunbathe on such lawns :-) Bikini girls laying around and shirtless guys throwing frisbee... that would b nice :-D

I support HKU expanding too.

HKU unveils design for Centennial campus
3 June 2006
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong has unveiled the architectural blueprint for its $2.5 billion campus expansion.

The university announced this week that it would adopt the masterplan from Wong & Ouyang (HK) and Sasaki Associates for the development of its Centennial campus, to be built to the west of the existing campus. It will be completed by the end of 2011 to provide more space and facilities for when four-year degree courses replace the current three-year model in 2012.

The decision came after a 21/2-month consultation with students, staff and alumni, as well as groups including local residents and Greenpeace. Models of the four proposed designs have been on display inside and outside the university.

More than 18,000 people visited the exhibition and more than 800 questionnaires were collected.

According to university spokeswoman, the masterplan would be refined until the end of this year. The public would be consulted through a series of workshops on matters such as the material used for the buildings and planning of the space inside them.

Site preparation, including the relocation of two reservoirs, would be carried out next year before the start of the construction in 2008, she said.

Pro-vice-chancellor John Malpas, who is overseeing the expansion project, said the public had indicated that the plan should be conscious of environmental, ecological, sustainability and heritage issues and the efficient use of space.

Eric Ng Shu-pui, the university's senior assistant registrar, said the chosen plan was based on principles of environmental sustainability that minimised the use of electricity, reduced pollution and drew on renewable energy.

He added that courtyards with extensive open space would encourage interaction among students inside and outside classrooms.

The plan also included four large lecture theatres and classrooms designed for multiple purposes.

Chan Che-wai, chairman of the university's Academic Staff Association, said that although the plan was practical, it lacked character.

"The plan has failed to create a new landmark for the university," he said.

Dr Chan added that although the heritage would be kept intact, the colour and the style of the new buildings, such as the senior staff quarters, did not fit in to the environment.

He said the solar panels, which are included in the plan for the new campus, might not be effective because there would not be much sunlight in the area.

The spokeswoman said solar panels were one way of making use of renewable energy. Other sources of sustainable energy might be considered, she said.

Lau Fong, president of the university's students' union, welcomed the choice, adding that the union would monitor the implementation of the plan.

HKU Centennial Campus
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/centcamp_logo.gif
http://www.hku.hk/centcampus/

In 2005, the University of Hong Kong invited four architectural consortia, each consisting of a local architectural firm and an international partner with global experience of innovative campus development, to present proposals for the design concept of the new Centennial Campus.

After careful consideration of all submissions and views, the University decided that the master plan proposal from Wong & Ouyang / Sasaki Associates, Inc. offered the best fit with its strategic planning principles. The selected consortium will develop the proposed masterplanning concept further, help address infrastructural issues and develop the brief for the next stage of the detailed building design.

http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/moving_forward/New%20CC%20Site2.JPG
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/moving_forward/CC%20Site2.jpg

Master plan from Wong & Ouyang / Sasaki Associates, Inc
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/moving_forward/thumb/W&O2.jpg
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/MASTERPLAN.jpg
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/moving_forward/msp_502.jpg

University Framework
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/1%20UNIVERSITY%20FRAMEWORK.jpg

Academic Courtyard
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/2%20ACADEMIC%20COURTYARD.jpg

Preservation of Heritage & Environment
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/3%20PRESERVATION%20OF%20HERITAGE%20AND%20ENVIRONMENT.jpg

Concept of Sustainability
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/4%20CONCEPT%20OF%20SUSTAINABILITY.jpg

Learning Commons
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/5%20LEARNING%20COMMONS.jpg

University Street
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/home/6%20UNIVERSITY%20STREET.jpg

Iconic Campus & MTR Station Entrances
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/moving_forward/msp_601.jpg
http://www3.hku.hk/centcamp/images/moving_forward/msp_602.jpg

The detail design of buildings will be completed in 2006/2007
The construction will begin in 2008 and will be completed in 2011

PowerPoint:
http://centcampus.adprovela.com/ppt/Wong_&_Ouyang_23-1-06.ppt

港大百年大屋 改裝校園地標

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k68/cerilampo/_06gf002_.jpg

香港大學近百年歷史古典大屋，現為水務署職員宿舍，配合校園西部發展將改裝為訪客中心、咖啡室和書店，被「欽點」為新校園地標。另一幢建於30年代的淨水庫會被拆卸，內裏機器和用具等，將放置於新設的水務博物館，公開展示本港供水歷史。

原為空置宿舍 列2級歷史建築

港大公布百周年校園計劃後，外界關注校方會否保留配水庫上的建築物和對環境的影響。目前配水庫有一幢空置的水務署高級職員宿舍，列為2級歷史建築。另一幢仍有人居住的水務署員工宿舍和一幢荒廢的淨水庫，則屬3級歷史建築。

港大建築系助理教授李浩然說，高級職員宿舍沒有特別的建築風格，但能反映殖民地時代的階級觀念，別具教育意義，故會與毗鄰的員工宿舍一併保留，作為新校園出入口的地標，校方又會設立博物館介紹本港的供水歷史。

:applause:

state of the art!

HKU Plans $10 Billion Upgrade Over 10 Years
http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=232803

港大斥25億建大學城
05/08/2008
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

【本報訊】為配合三三四學制及增加競爭力，香港大學將斥資二十五億元建立大學城，港大計劃興建三座新學院大樓，以及一個可容納二千人、二十四小時開放的研習坊，令學生可在舒適環境下學習及進行討論；至於校園內的三級歷史建築物西區濾水廠，有關方面擬闢作水務博物館，今年年底會諮詢公眾意見。

港大百周年校園的公眾巡迴展覽明日開始。因應二○一二年起本港實施三三四學制，以及港大銳意增收非本地生，達到國際化的目標，港大未來學生人數將大幅增加四成，需要擴建校園應付未來的發展。

港大將於明年中展開校園擴建計劃，興建三座新大樓，包括文學院、社會科學學院及法律學院。新大樓採環保設計，有天台及垂直綠化，減低耗電量，新校園會採太陽能街燈、廢水亦會回收再用等，節省能源，三幢大樓樓宇高度只約十一及十二層，不會影響鄰近住宅的景觀；而大樓之間會設綠蔭庭院，供學生及臈職員休憩。

新校園更特別闢設有一個面積達六千平方米，採落地玻璃設計的研習坊，研習坊除有寧靜的閱讀區外，還有供飲食、小組討論及上網的地方，學生除了可上網借閱圖書館的藏書外，更可上網與臈授討論學科問題及進行小組討論。

西區濾水廠或改博物館
至於新校園內三座歷史建築物，包括水務署高級、普通職員宿舍，以及西區濾水廠，港大決定全部保留，港大已成立一個工作小組，研究三幢建築物的用途，其中西區濾水廠正考慮改為水務博物館，港大今年年底會諮詢公眾意見。

New HKU campus to be green and grand
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, August 07, 2008

Hong Kong University unveiled plans for a new campus housing the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Law in an exhibition at Pacific Place in Admiralty.

Adorning the exhibition, which opened yesterday and celebrates the university's 121-year history, are models of three academic buildings and a 6,000-square-meter interactive learning space named Learning Commons that are set to rise soon.

The territory's oldest university has set a 2012 deadline for its 21st century Centennial Campus.

"The expansion will provide a new learning experience of the 21st century to students through the design of state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces, greening and sustainability features," a university spokesman said.

The extension will cost HK$2.5 billion, of which HK$1.3 billion will be funded by the government, the remainder will be raised by the university.

The Faculty of Law has outlined various initiatives for development, including an institute of comparative Chinese law, a center for arbitration and dispute resolution and a legal education clinic providing limited legal services to those in need.

The university wants to feature greening and sustainability in the new campus. Energy-saving measures such as wind turbines, solar panels, recycling of waste water, and rooftop gardens will be adopted.

There are also plans to plant 500 trees around the new campus.

The campus expansion is in line with the introduction of the four-year undergraduate curriculum in 2012, when the student population is expected to increase by at least 40 percent.

Three historic buildings in the campus extension built between the 1920s and 1930s - a grade-two listed waterworks staff quarters, a grade-three workmen's quarters and a grade-three waterworks buildings - will also be preserved and revitalized.

so much money, wish they would spend it on hiring ppl too :-p

give me a job or sth :-p

very good!

Three universities get backing to expand
13 January 2009
South China Morning Post

Lawmakers have given qualified backing to three university campus expansion plans, despite spiralling building costs.

Leaders of the University of Hong Kong, Polytechnic University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology appeared before the Legislative Council's education panel yesterday to explain the rising costs of their expansion plans.

The expanded facilities will be needed to cope with more students when the universities begin the switch to four-year degrees from 2012. Cost estimates for the 12 buildings across seven universities have soared by 71 per cent, from HK$3.43 billion in 2004-05 to HK$5.88 billion by last September. The Education Bureau blamed the higher costs on "significant increases in construction material prices and changes in market sentiments", and projected more increases before completion.

Cheung Man-kwong, lawmaker for the education sector, said: "There should be a cap on this expenditure because of the economic situation."

Michael Stone, secretary general of the University Grants Committee, said "a price fluctuation clause" would be introduced in tender contracts so that "barring exceptional circumstances, they can't exceed their budgets".

The projects will be put to the Public Works Subcommittee on February 11 and the Finance Committee in April.

西港島線 接通港大新校園
2 June 2009
香港經濟日報

港鐵西港島線大學站將有兩個出入口接通香港大學，其中寶翠園出入口接通港大新建的百周年校園，市民可由車站直接前往對外開放的百周年花園，及3幢活化歷史建築；至於接駁港大黃克競樓的出入口，亦會24小時接通薄扶林道，方便師生出入。

工程費逾30億元的港大百周年校園計劃2012年落成，而造價達154億元的西港島線料於2014年通車。西港島線全長3公里及有3個車站，包括西營盤、大學及堅尼地城。

往百周年校園 僅2分鐘

港鐵項目統籌經理鄧伯洪表示，大學站共有5個出入口，其中兩個接通黃克競樓及百周年校園，全以升降機來回車站與地面，乘搭時間約20秒，並以行人天橋接通港大。

鄧又稱，黃克競樓出入口共有8部升降機，車站往校園內只須約3分鐘；而寶翠園出入口通往百周年校園有4部升降機，站內往地面約為2分鐘。

西港島線以融入社區概念興建，港大物業處高級助理處長譚景良表示，師生及市民可經車站來往大學與社區，最遠可由大學往較近海邊的卑路乍街。

譚透露，百周年校園將興建面積逾4萬平方呎的百周年花園，而新校園內3幢歷史建築，會與水務署商討把屬三級歷史建築的西區濾水廠，變身為水務博物館。

譚又指，其餘兩幢為二及三級歷史建築的舊員工宿舍，亦會活化及對外開放。港大發言人補充，正研究該兩幢建築的活化，如變為書店、康樂或展覽用途的場地。

另一方面，運輸及房屋局局長鄭汝樺昨於立法會鐵路事宜小組委員會，解釋西港島線造價由89億元升至154億元，以及政府注資由60億元增加至127億元的問題。

有議員形容，154億元是天價，質疑政府注資大增逾倍是偏袒港鐵，因港鐵投入資金反減2億元，要求當局提交財務報告。鄭表示，補助金加入退還機制，若工程費有剩餘，港鐵需在鐵路通車兩年後，連利息退還餘額，並指補助金額會於票價中反映。

HKU vows to save trees from MTR Corp's axe
26 April 2009
South China Morning Post

Three signature trees at the University of Hong Kong's west gate are facing the chop because of construction of the West Island Line, according to an MTR Corporation report.

But the university's administration said it would protect the trees at all costs, including transplanting them itself if the MTR Corp insisted they should be felled.

A report on tree details for the West Island Line's University station says six trees should be transplanted and six should be felled, including two banyan trees and a flame tree that have been growing next to the Haking Wong Building at the university's west gate for 15 to 20 years.

The report says the form of the trees is good, their health is fair and their likely chances of survival after transplanting is mid-range.

However, the report says that the three trees should still be felled - the same fate awaiting trees assessed as being in poor health and with a low chance of survival.

Certified arborist So Kwok-yin, from the Conservancy Association, said trees were always given the lowest priority during development.

"The West Island Line is just one of many examples because trees cannot complain," he said. "There are always nearly 50 per cent of trees that have to be felled because of construction. While another 50 per cent of trees have to be transplanted, the survival rate is lower than 50 per cent."

An MTR Corp spokeswoman said the trees would have to be felled because they were not transportable.

"The roots of these trees are tangled together {hellip} therefore, the size of the root ball [the roots and soil attached to them when a plant is lifted from ground] is not big enough for these trees to survive after transplantation," she said.

But HKU professor Jim Chi-yung disagreed with that explanation.

"It is illogical to say the size of the root ball of these trees is not big enough," he said. "It is very easy to transplant banyan trees."

Professor Jim, an MTR Corp consultant, said it had asked for his opinion on the trees affected by construction, "but I did not endorse them to cut down these trees".

"These trees are gateway trees, signature trees and landmark trees of HKU," he said.

"You could have an opinion poll at HKU and no one would agree to chop down these trees."

Mr So said banyan trees were among the toughest in the world.

"They could be transplanted even if there is only one stick left," he said. "These reasons are just made up to justify chopping down these trees."

Professor Jim and Mr So called for objective guidelines on tree assessments to be drawn up immediately to avoid subjective judgments on which trees should be felled.

Tam King-leung, the university's senior assistant director of estates, said it would save the trees.

"We will stop these trees from being felled at all cost," he said. "The university has told the MTR Corporation that we don't want these trees to be cut down. Even though it might not be easy, we will transplant these trees with the help of our experts before they are chopped."

MTR chief eases fare rise fears
11 August 2009
The Standard

MTR commuters have been assured that fares will remain unchanged even if the HK$15.4 billion cost to build the West Island Line surges.

``Fares are independent of the final capital cost of the project,'' chief executive Chow Chung-kwong said yesterday after a ground-breaking ceremony for the line, which will be completed in 2014.

The project is a three-kilometer extension of the Island Line from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town.

There will be three new intermediate stations at Hong Kong University, Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town.

According to Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang Ying-yen, it will take only eight minutes to get from Kennedy Town to Sheung Wan and 14 minutes to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Chow described the new line as a ``community railway'' as new pedestrian walkways, escalators and lifts will make traveling within Kennedy Town more convenient.

The railway will also make traveling to new public facilities such as the Kennedy Town swimming pool easier.

The project will generate more than 3,000 jobs and about HK$62 billion in economic benefits.

But the cost and the siting of the ventilation shafts have fueled debate.

Since the line was first approved in 2006, the estimated cost has risen by 73 percent from the original HK$8.9 billion.

Taxpayers will foot HK$12.7 billion, or 82 percent, of the cost.

``There is a clawback mechanism to ensure any government contribution left over will be fully returned,'' Chow said.

A group of six people protested outside the Kennedy Town station site over the siting of the proposed ventilation shafts at the Hong Kong University station.

The MTRC is planning two shafts in the pedestrian area on Hill Road, Kennedy Town, causing concern they will only trap and circulate bad air from a waste-collection center and from cars running on either side.

Chow said the air from the shafts will be ``as good as, if not better'' than the air in the area.

Ma Lo Yee-mei, who has lived in the area for 10 years, said the shafts will only recirculate fumes from car exhausts and spew out bad air from the center.

The extension will cost HK$2.5 billion, of which HK$1.3 billion will be funded by the government, the remainder will be raised by the university.

14 Oct 2009
Press Release
Groundbreaking Ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research

http://www.hku.hk/cpaoesite/press/HKJC
Location: 5-7, Sassoon Road, Pokfulam
Commencement of Construction: September 2009
Anticipated Completion: Mid 2011

Site Area: 3,815 m2
Construction Floor Area: 15,840 m2
Total Net Operational Floor Area: 8,082 m2
Height: 12 storeys
Estimated Cost: HK$306 million

The groundbreaking ceremony of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research was held today (14 October). The ceremony signifies a new era of human research at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

HKU has achieved worldwide recognition for its research achievements. The Phase 1 of the Human Research Institute (HRI) will accommodate specialized research laboratories and state-of-the-art inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary centres, including the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Engineering Centre, the Behavioral Sciences and Holistic Health Centre, the Institute of Human Performance Research Centre, the Clinical Trials Centre, the Genome Research Centre, the Medical Physics Research Centre, and the Chemical Biology Centre.

In recognition of the generous donation of HK$133 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust, the HRI (Phase 1) Building will be named "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research". The construction of the Building will be completed in mid 2011.

At the ceremony, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor of HKU said, "The construction of the future home of the Human Research Institute is part of a comprehensive development plan of the University's strategic research initiatives." "This Building will provide the space, the technologies and the facilities to cultivate a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment that will enhance collaboration amongst researchers within HKU."

Mr John C C Chan, Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said, "The Club is pleased to support this important project by funding the development of a base for the Human Research Institute, where multi-disciplinary units will be housed under one roof. We believe the project will help cultivate a cross-disciplinary research culture and environment conducive to close collaboration, which is essential for furthering human research in HKU and Hong Kong in general."

The Building will adopt environmentally-friendly design, including vertical greening at the outer wall of the building, and the installation of solar panels.

For media enquiries, please contact Mr. Henry Ho, Senior Manager (Community Relations), Communications and Public Affairs Office), Tel: 2857 8555/91880219, email: henryho.kc@hku.hk or Miss Julie Chu, Assistant Executive (Community Relations), Communications and Public Affairs Office, Tel: 2859 2437, email: juliechu@hku.hk

State Councillor visits University of Hong Kong
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Government Press Release

http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/200912/06/P200912060177_photo_1010723.jpg

State Councillor Madam Liu Yandong this morning (December 6) visited the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) where she was greeted by the Chairman of the HKU Council, Dr Leong Che-hung; the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen; and the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow.

Madam Liu was briefed by the Vice-Chancellor of HKU, Professor Tsui Lap-chee, on the history of the faculty. She praised the faculty’s high level of research excellence and encouraged it to continue its dedicated hard work and contribute to society.

During the visit to the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the faculty, Professor Guan Yi explained the focus area of research. Madam Liu recognised the importance of surveillance and control of emerging diseases and encouraged medical professionals to work hard to guard against infectious diseases.

The State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases is the only laboratory in the field to gain approval to set up outside the Mainland. It was tasked to monitor and control emerging infectious diseases and provide a platform for bringing together and nurturing outstanding researchers.

Later, at the Genome Research Centre, Madam Liu was given a briefing by Professor Tsui on the research conducted there.

Madam Liu said that the HKU had rich experience in nurturing talents and profound academic achievements. “China has to enhance international co-operation in education and work closely with Hong Kong in tertiary education. I hope that Hong Kong will join hands with the Mainland to raise the level of education in the country,” she said.

Madam Liu, accompanied by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, called on the renowned contemporary sinologist Professor Jao Tsung-i at the Jao Tsung-i Petite Ecole of HKU. She was attracted by precious exhibits of Professor Jao’s rare collections and calligraphy.

On behalf of Premier Mr Wen Jiaobao, Madam Liu sent her regards to Professor Jao. She congratulated Professor Jao for being awarded with Fellowship of China Central Research Institute of Culture and History.

“Professor Jao’s precious collections enable the rest of the world to have a better understanding of Chinese culture,” Madam Liu said.

In the afternoon, Madam Liu met presidents and vice-chancellors of the 10 local tertiary institutions to hear their views on the latest situation of tertiary education in Hong Kong. She then met youth representatives of various sectors in Hong Kong and attended a welcoming reception of the 2009 Boao Youth Forum (Hong Kong).

Madam Liu will leave Hong Kong and return to Beijing this evening. The Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, will see her off at the airport.

Lift cap on non-local students, HKU head says
4 December 2009
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong should become more international by lifting the cap on the number of mainland and overseas students, the new chairman of the university council, Dr Leong Che-hung, says.

Leong, who succeeded Dr Victor Fung Kwok-king three weeks ago, said one of the missions of his three-year term was to make it one of the world's top 10 universities.

The university's plan to expand into Shenzhen - including a new campus and a public hospital - would make it more competitive and overcome space constraints at its campus in Pok Fu Lam, he said.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said in his policy speech in October that the government wanted to internationalise the education system, and would further relax the rules for overseas students.

"We want to see the ceiling relaxed or even lifted so we can freely admit overseas students," Leong, an executive councillor and former legislator, said.

"It won't affect our resources for local students because the overseas students have to bear the cost.

"Having more overseas students here would help our local students develop a global perspective and mix with different cultures."

No cap is set for overseas students in postgraduate courses.

HKU's overseas undergraduate-student ratio is capped at 20 per cent, with only 4 per cent receiving government funding.

But it cannot meet even that cap, mainly due to a lack of student quarters, and its overseas and mainland undergraduates account for only about 12 per cent of total admissions.

Leong said the university's celebration of its centenary in 2011 would help consolidate support from alumni.

But even the Centennial Campus, to be completed in 2012, would be too small to meet the rising demand for student accommodation and teaching space. He said one possible solution was to turn vacant factories into student accommodation.

In October, the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings rated HKU the 24th-best university in the world. It came second in Asia, behind the 22nd-ranked University of Tokyo. HKU's highest position was 18th, in 2007.

"I would like to see HKU among the top 10," Leong said.

He added that he thought that internationalising would attract good students and teaching staff.

The university has no plan to go completely private.

But it will consider setting up a private wing to provide bridging degree courses for diploma holders or sub-degree graduates, such as graduates from its school of professional and continuing education. Amid rising demand for space and research resources, the university has endorsed a blueprint to expand in Shenzhen with a new campus and a research centre in the border city.

Leong said the university's campus in Pok Fu Lam was "rather small" when compared with some newer institutions. "Recently I visited the medical faculty's state key laboratory and was rather shocked to find out that it was so small," he said. "We definitely need more space, and it is difficult to find land in Hong Kong."

Leong said the new Shenzhen campus would be just "an extension" of the Pok Fu Lam campus, not a new school. "We will consider moving some of our faculties there and some students may have to travel to Shenzhen for classes.

"Of course, all the details needed to be carefully considered."

Leong said having a new research centre in Shenzhen would help the university tap into the mainland's more generous research grants.

On Monday, the university and the Shenzhen authorities signed a memorandum of understanding for the planning of the 2,000-bed Binhai Hospital. It will be Shenzhen's biggest public hospital and a second teaching hospital for HKU.

Leong said the hospital, which would open in 2011, would be a showcase for health care reform on the mainland.

"It will be a win-win-win situation for Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the whole country," he said. "Our staff can see private cases there, and will be subject to the same monitoring as if they are in Hong Kong."

Leong said Queen Mary Hospital, the university's teaching hospital in Pok Fu Lam, was too small and the variety of patient cases too narrow to teach medical students.

After graduating from HKU in 1962, Leong taught in the department of surgery from 1964 to 1978.

He has pledged to hold regular meetings involving staff, students and his council members.

From 2012, the university will provide four-year undergraduate programmes, following reforms to the academic structure for secondary education and higher education.

An extra 200 teaching staff will be needed for the increasing number of students.

January 12, 2010
Government Press Release
HKU hostel redevelopment backed

The Land & Development Advisory Committee has endorsed a University of Hong Kong proposal to convert or redevelop a former school building in Kennedy Town into a post-graduate hostel.

At its meeting today, committee members said the project will address the shortage of student hostel places.

The Development Opportunities Office has advised redevelopment is the best way forward as the proposed conversion approach will require demolishing a considerable portion of the existing building.

The committee also supported the proposed relocation of the Hong Kong Red Cross Headquarters from Harcourt Road, Admiralty, to Hoi Ting Road in West Kowloon to enable the organisation to continue its full range of community services.

It backed another project submitted by China Resources Property which will involve implementing city improvements works in Wan Chai North, taking the opportunity from the company's retrofitting and redevelopment of the China Resources Centre. Members said the project will improve vehicular and pedestrian flow in the area. They also supported the company's proposed upgrades to the Harbour Road Garden at its expense.

A new start for HKU, 100 years after first foundation stone laid
17 March 2010
South China Morning Post

One hundred years to the day since the then governor, Sir Frederick Lugard, laid the first stone of what is now the University of Hong Kong's main building, a ceremony was held yesterday to lay the foundation stone for its new campus.

Officiating at the ceremony marking the start of work on the centennial campus, chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen praised the tremendous contribution the university had made to the city's development.

"Throughout the years, the university has remained an institution that embodies freedom, diversity and integrity. It has nurtured more than 130,000 graduates, many of whom have become leaders in their various fields," he said. "It has engaged in pioneering research that has put Hong Kong on the world map."

The campus adjoining the university's existing campus in Pok Fu Lam is being built to cope with the university's expansion as it prepares for the advent of four-year undergraduate degree courses in 2012 - the standard course now lasts three years. Work is expected to be finished in 2012.

Vice-chancellor Professor Tsui Lap-chee said the university was working hard to raise the money needed to complete the campus.

"The government has given us HK$2 billion for the construction {hellip} but we are still short of HK$1 billion {hellip} The construction of the centennial campus is very important to the development of the university," he said.

At the end of the ceremony, Professor Christopher Mody, of the University of Calgary in Canada, the great-great-grandson of Sir Hormusjee Mody - the Indian businessman who donated HK$150,000 towards the construction of the university a century ago - presented a gilt jade-encrusted trowel to Tsang.

Professor Mody said he was thrilled that his ancestor's contribution had helped produce a world-class university.

The professor, who is in Hong Kong for the first time, said: "It's great to see in person what my great-great-grandfather did in Hong Kong."

He said he would visit Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, named after his generous relative.

Four former university vice-chancellors, including Rayson Huang, who served from 1972 to 1986, attended the ceremony.

Huang said it was a dream come true to see the university blossom into the top-notch institution it is today.

"When I was a student here from 1938 to 1941, the site where the centennial campus will stand was just deserted ground," he said.

Colleges set aside mainland projects
26 July 2010
SCMP

Ambitious plans for Hong Kong universities to expand into the massive mainland education market have been delayed or shelved as local administrators grapple with the challenge of raising funds and maintaining academic standards.

The University of Hong Kong announced in December that it would set up an extension campus in Shenzhen but the proposal appears to have been set aside since Professor Richard Wong, a key figure behind it, resigned as deputy vice-chancellor.

A HKU spokeswoman said she did not know who was in charge of the project and there had been no official report on it.

HKU vice-chancellor Professor Tsui Lap-chee said earlier this year that the Shenzhen government had allocated the university 100 hectares of land to build a campus within five years. "The HKU campus in Hong Kong is only 52 hectares, so it's a really big piece of land," Tsui said at the university's spring reception.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong in February signed a memorandum of understanding with Shenzhen's municipal government to set up a campus in the city that will be run with a local partner.

A Chinese University spokeswoman said little progress has been made since it signed the pact.

"It will take time as we have to raise funds separately for the Shenzhen project and guarantee the operation there would not be subsidised by our Sha Tin campus," the university's communications and public relations manager, Chan Tsz-ling, said. "We also need to ensure the quality of the staff and the curricula in Shenzhen must be on a par with that in Sha Tin."

In November, Polytechnic University agreed with the Dongguan municipal government to set up a working group and conduct a feasibility study on education, research and training. PolyU has been searching for a mainland institution with which to set up a jointly run university in Dongguan but the university would only say that "management is still studying this issue".

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology also joined the race to the mainland, setting up a graduate school in Nansha , Guangzhou, as a trial project.

The loss of momentum is no surprise to Professor Edmund Kwok Siu-tong, who pioneered cross-border education in setting up the United International College (UIC) in Zhuhai . "Hong Kong people don't know how to start a university to provide higher education on the mainland," he said. "It is as though we are walking on a tightrope - a single wrong step and we'll fall."

Founded by Hong Kong Baptist University and Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai in 2005, UIC was the first full-scale co-operation in higher education between the mainland and Hong Kong. According to the agreement between the two universities, the mainland partner contributed just over 80 hectares of land - a tiny corner of its 2,023-hectare Zhuhai campus - to the college. Baptist University provided funding and personnel to set up the institution.

PolyU, Chinese University and HKUST all visited UIC to learn from its experience. UIC's student population has risen to nearly 4,000 this year from 270 in the first enrolment in 2005. UIC is becoming an alternative for mainland students turned down by top-notch local universities who are unable to study abroad.

Driving UIC's rapid expansion is its English-teaching programme and degrees awarded by Baptist University. "It's [the expansion] a miracle in itself," Kwok said. "In Hong Kong, all universities have to do to attract students is organise a few open days on campus. But on the mainland, we have to do national recruitment - do you know how much resources that takes?"

UIC may be expanding at a fast pace, but it is still struggling to emerge from heavy financial losses over the past four financial years. It booked operating losses of 4.8 million yuan (HK$5.49 million) in 2008-09, 3.3 million yuan in 2007-08, 800,000 yuan in 2006-07 and 4.9 million yuan in 2005-06.

Baptist University had expected the college to become financially self-sustaining when it reaches full capacity in 2011-12. But Kwok would not give a projected date for when the college might break even.

"Baptist University agreed to invest not more than HK$150 million on UIC and we need to return that money every year from our operational income," Kwok said.

Kwok noted that a secondary school in Hong Kong would cost more than HK$100 million to set up, and Shantou University just spent 300 million yuan to build its new library.

Even though the cost of construction on the mainland was much cheaper than in Hong Kong, it was still very difficult to build a university from scratch, Kwok said.

A spokesman for Baptist University refused to disclose how much UIC had to return every year. "The university council approved an investment ceiling of HK$150 million in non-University Grants Committee funds to establish UIC. Baptist University does expect the investment to be paid back over the 30-year period of collaboration. The repayment will take various forms and would vary according to the financial situation of UIC and its future development plans."

A person close to the issue said UIC was required to give 8 per cent of its annual income to Baptist University as a loan repayment, and an additional 15 per cent to Beijing Normal University - 5 per cent as a branding fee and 10 per cent in rent for allowing students to use facilities at the university's Zhuhai campus.

In addition, 50 to 60 per cent of the university's income goes to staff salaries and the rest was used for general administration, the person said.

As a result, the college has been in the red for the past few years even though it has raised school fees from about 38,000 yuan a year to around 50,000 yuan - six to seven times the amount charged by well-established local universities.

"The two funding entities should not calculate their return from UIC as if it were a commercial project," Kwok said.

UIC has just one teaching block, which also houses administrative staff and a general office.

Students share hostels, canteens and even a library with those from Beijing Normal University.

Kwok said the problems were rooted in a lack of planning from the very beginning. "UIC doesn't have money and land," he said. "The original concept was to buy services from Beijing Normal University, but that is not the way to run a university.

"Students can use Beijing Normal University's library, but it mostly has Chinese books - which are not very useful for our English curriculum - so we ended up having to build our own."

But To Yiu-ming, an assistant professor at Baptist University, said UIC's set-up and operation had been unfeasible from day one.

"From an investment point of view, it will take ages before Baptist University can get its return back. It can't pump any more money into UIC, as people will worry about Hong Kong taxpayers' money being channelled to Zhuhai. But from an educational point of view, there should not be a financial ceiling on providing higher education."

As well as funding issues, Kwok said many mainland parents intervened in their children's education, which also created problems. He said there should be a proper administrative and examination system to prevent manipulation of grades or improper exchanges between teachers and parents.

He said he and his colleagues from Hong Kong had complete autonomy to run UIC without government intervention.

But he refused to talk about the role of Communist Party members within its administration.

On campus, television news broadcasts from Hong Kong are periodically interrupted by the government. A UIC graduate said that he and his classmates had used special software to get around "the Great Firewall", which blocks most websites deemed sensitive by Beijing.

"We have to find our own ways to use the internet for research, since Beijing won't loosen its censorship within the campus because it is run by a Hong Kong university," he said. "But our teachers are able to talk about sensitive topics in class - so at least we don't have to study the thinking of Mao Zedong ."

But one HKU professor was worried about academic freedom on the mainland. "As most Hong Kong universities rush to enter China, have any of them thought about how to secure freedom of speech?"

Hostel approved for historic terrace
8 October 2010
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong's plan to set up a student hostel on a historic terrace in Kennedy Town has won the blessing of development advisers. The proposal to convert the former premises of Hon Wah Middle School in Ching Lin Terrace, where three graded historic buildings also stand, would help maintain the heritage feeling of the neighbourhood, the Land and Development Advisory Committee has concluded.

It would also provide much-needed accommodation for students in a more environmentally friendly way compared to redevelopment, the committee added after a meeting yesterday.

The university, which bought the former school for HK$60 million, decided to convert the existing building instead of redeveloping it to keep the low-rise landscape intact.

The plan was initially opposed by the Buildings Department, which said the premises, built as a school, were not suitable for residential use. It suggested the university knock down the block and build a new hostel.

But this was opposed by the Antiquities Advisory Board, which said the construction work could harm the structures of the historic buildings next door.

A new building would also impair the quiet neighbourhood and compromise the ambience of the terrace, typical of an old Hong Kong streetscape.

The revised scheme involves opening up the existing block with a ground-level courtyard to match the building codes. The school lines up with grade-one Lo Pan Temple, a two-storey tenement and a Taoist temple, both grade-three heritage sites, with other low-rise residential buildings.

Hon Wah Middle School, with an emphasis on patriotism education, has produced many graduates who are also HKU alumni. It has been moved to Hong Kong Island east and renamed Hon Wah College.

The committee did not support a proposal presented by the Utahloy Education Foundation to build an international boarding school at Pak Lap, Sai Kung, because part of the proposed site falls within Sai Kung East Country Park, and was given protective zoning last week.

The committee considered that the school development was not compatible with the environment, and expressed concern about damage to rural land with high conservation and landscape value.

HKU students may attend classes in Shenzhen
2 November 2010
SCMP

Some students at the University of Hong Kong may need to go to Shenzhen for their classes in 2013.

The university is not the first in Hong Kong to build campuses on the mainland, but is the only one to have plans to use the campus as an integrated part of the Hong Kong facilities.

Unlike Hong Kong Baptist University, which uses its mainland campus as a separate school, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's mainland grounds which are used solely for postgraduate programmes, HKU's Shenzhen campus will also host some undergraduate classes.

Local and international students will have to travel to Shenzhen for their classes if needed, Professor Roland Chin Tai-hong, deputy vice-chancellor and provost of the university, said yesterday.

The campus extension is still in the planning process and no building contracts have been signed for the 100-hectare site.

Chin said the School of Engineering is likely to be one of the first faculties to be moved, because "the studies involve some experiments that need a lot of space".

"There are a lot of engineering activities going on in the mainland, so, naturally, part of the school will be moved there," he said.

The university will also look at the needs of each faculty and decide which ones can be moved, meaning not all the students will have to travel to Shenzhen.

Part of the Faculty of Medicine will be moved which may give students a chance to practise in Binhai Hospital in Shenzhen. The hospital is going to be managed by the university and the Shenzhen government.

Asked whether he is worried about losing academic freedom in the mainland campus, Chin said he would respect the laws in Shenzhen. "If Falun Gong is not allowed there, then our students should not practise it in Shenzhen," he said.

Coaches will be available to transport the students between the two campuses on a journey that lasts about an hour.

Jason Ho Chun-yin, a final-year student at the School of Engineering, said he did not mind travelling to Shenzhen for his classes as long as the school arranges the transport.

Lam Ki-yin, chairman of the Engineering Society, said he had not heard about moving the school to Shenzhen. "It will be a waste of time to travel from one campus to another. Students will also have to adapt to the cultural differences in Shenzhen, which may in turn slow down their learning," he said.

School race to loop heats up
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Standard

Folks at the University of Hong Kong are surely occupied by its centennial celebrations that will last until 2012.

They should rejoice, since this will not only be a major milestone in the history of the prestigious university, but also mark its achievement in recent years that has made it Asia's best.

Its no surprise that Hong Kong people, including HKU alumni, is aiming higher for the institutions second century. Can it conquer the world after Asia?

Why not even though this may be a long shot as long as people on the management team are able to seize whatever opportunities that become available.

For instance, the global financial crisis that dried up education funding in the West is giving rise to new opportunities for SAR universities to hire first-class professors whom theyd been unable to lure in the past.

A top scholar told me yesterday his peers here are doing exactly this. By coincidence, the shift to a four-year degree program in Hong Kong has created demand for about 1,000 more teaching staff at all universities here. In this sense, the timing of the global financial crisis couldnt have been better.

Isnt it logical that with the arrival of more first-class professors, we should see a more vibrant, intellectual environment at our institutes of higher learning?

Yet there is another opportunity arising. Didnt Hong Kong and Shenzhen recently announce a joint venture to develop the Lok Ma Chau loop into a new base for research and development, with a pocket of land slightly larger than HKU in the loop reserved for higher learning?

The government projects about 24,000 students will study at up to four institutes to be set up there.

So far, several local universities, including HKU, Baptist University, Chinese University and Polytechnic University, have expressed interest in setting up schools in the border loop.

Baptist even floated the idea of swapping its Kowloon Tong campus for the entire pocket. HKU has submitted a preliminary proposal to occupy most of the area with science and engineering facilities, while CUHK thinks the site would be ideal for continued education or associate degree programs.

It wont surprise me if there is heated competition for the site. But should the limited piece of land be divided into equal lots to satisfy the demands? Or should it be used by only one or two institutes for expansion? Those are tricky questions because there are pros and cons to consider.

Dividing the site into equal lots will make the pieces too small for ambitious planning, while allocating the entire lot to only one institute would invite cries of favoritism.

Maybe the best is for officials not to occupy themselves with rigid criteria before they study the proposals. Starting with rigid criteria risks blinding one from worthwhile suggestions. Instead, each proposed business model should be examined in detail and on its own merits.

Im sure universities will forward innovative packages to take advantage of opportunities springing up at the border. Because of this, I have confidence in the future of our higher education that has to be visionary.

Hong Kong’s universities decide bigger is better
31 January 2011
International Herald Tribune

Universities in Hong Kong are counting down toward one of the most significant transformations ever attempted in the territory’s higher education sector, and the logistics are daunting: thousands of extra students, hundreds of new lecturers, realms of new curricula to write and hours of additional courses to fill.

The universities must find space, in what is already one of the world’s most densely populated cities, to accommodate all of the new classrooms, laboratories, staff offices and dormitories that will be required.

At a time when universities in many Western countries are pinching budgets, Hong Kong’s are gearing up for a massive expansion of the undergraduate population: Starting in the 2012 academic year, all Hong Kong undergraduate degrees will be extended from three years to four.

The changes mean that students will spend one less year in high school before embarking on a revamped four-year undergraduate curriculum.

‘‘It’s unprecedented for an entire university system to move from a three-year program to a four-year program,’’ said Gerard Postiglione, a professor of education at the University of Hong Kong.

Universities say the extra year will give them the opportunity to provide students with a more rounded, liberal education, akin to the U.S. approach.

Education experts, who have widely welcomed the changes, say the move reflects Hong Kong’s ambitions to produce innovative graduates who are well-equipped to secure the city’s place in the global economy.

Previously, most students completed seven years of high school before applying to college. Under the new system, known as 3+3+4, all students will complete three years of both junior and senior high school and at about the age of 18 be eligible to pursue a four-year university degree.

But during the transition period universities will have to deal with a ‘‘double cohort’’ of students. About 30,000 new students will flood into the universities in September 2012, as the first students taught under the six-year high school curriculum embark on four-year degrees, while the last group of students to complete seven years of high school start the final batch of three-year degrees.

The government also plans to give more students who have completed associate degrees or diplomas the opportunity to complete an undergraduate degree. The number of places available for these students to join the third year of an undergraduate program will double to 4,000 by the 2014 academic year.

The government has earmarked several sites that it plans to make available for development by private colleges and the privately financed arms of public institutions, but universities are already constructing new classrooms, laboratories and dormitories.

The University of Hong Kong, which celebrates its centenary this year, is building a new campus that will increase its space by 20 percent. The government is financing about half of the development and the university is raising money for the remainder.

‘‘We want to build for the future, not just 2012,’’ said the deputy vice-chancellor, Roland Chin.

Construction is under way at campuses across Hong Kong, but concerns remain that there may not be enough space or facilities by 2012.

Students are also concerned about the shortage of dormitory rooms in Hong Kong, where rents are among the highest in Asia and land is sparse. The shortage deprives local students of the chance to live on campus and is a barrier to attracting more international students.

Hoiki Ho, acting general secretary of the University of Hong Kong Students’ Union, said more dormitory spaces were needed because it was often difficult to find affordable housing close to the university.

Mr. Chin said the University of Hong Kong hoped to offer 1,800 new dormitory spaces by 2012, on top of the existing 4,700, but he acknowledged that that would still not satisfy demand.

‘‘We are working with the government to find land so that we can build more dormitories,’’ he said.

And with some of the larger universities looking to hire up to 200 new staff members each, a global search for academics is in full swing.

Existing staff have welcomed the move to four-year degrees, but some are concerned about staffing during the transition period, said K.C. Cheung, chairman of the Academic Staff Association of the University of Hong Kong.

Mr. Cheung said that while universities were hiring for the long-term increase of 15,000 students some staff members were concerned that they may be required to take on more teaching responsibilities during the transition.

Infrastructure issues aside, administrators and academics said they believed that the most important challenge will be deciding how best to fill students’ additional year on campus.

‘‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revamp the curriculum,’’ said Kenneth Young, a deputy chancellor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. ‘‘Ultimately, one of the most important things is to use this opportunity to change the way education is delivered from a very traditional, didactic mode to a much more student-directed mode.’’

Each university has the freedom to decide its own curriculum, but the overall trend is toward a more multidisciplinary approach in which students will be required to take more general education subjects. At the University of Hong Kong, for example, students will be required to take six common core courses that cover globalization, China, science and technology and the humanities, plus English and Chinese courses.

‘‘We’ve taken this opportunity to review the entire undergraduate curriculum and ask ourselves what do we need to do so that we produce graduates who will be able to meet the challenges posed by globalization,’’ said Amy Tsui, pro vice-chancellor and vice president for teaching and learning.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will adopt a similar approach, with students required to take core subjects in arts and humanities, social analysis, science and technology, quantitative reasoning, English and Chinese communication, and a healthy-lifestyle course.

Walter Yuen, vice president for academic development at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said universities were working with high schools to gain a better understanding of how they could help students move smoothly into higher education.

‘‘I think it’s reasonable to expect that in some aspects they will lack academic knowledge compared to the previous years because they have one less year,’’ he said.

Despite the many challenges, Simon Marginson, a professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne, said he believed Hong Kong was making the right changes.

‘‘It’s now very well placed to be a player at the world level,’’ he said.

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^ Anyone know what's being built down there?

^ Anyone know what's being built down there?

The Centennial Campus.

RTHK 世紀藍圖: 新世紀校園
http://programme.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?name=tv%2Fblueprint&d=2010-09-18&p=4863&e=116568&m=episode

"Mastering a Mountain," Civil Engineering, pp70-77, December 2010.
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