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Chinese University seeks supremacy $10 billion, 10-year plan to make it the global centre for Chinese studies
6 February 2006
South China Morning Post

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has launched a $10 billion plan to boost its regional status and become a global centre for Chinese studies within 10 years.

University chiefs are aiming to build up to three new colleges at its Sha Tin campus to extend its collegiate structure as student numbers rise due to the switch to four-year degrees in 2012.

Vice-chancellor Lawrence Lau Juen-yee said CUHK expected to receive $4 billion from the University Grants Committee (UGC) through block grant and research funding and cash for new buildings to house students for a fourth year. "Besides using the funds from the government, we have to raise private funds of around $6 billion," he said.

"I am pretty confident that we will be able to reach the target. We hope that we can be the hub of education in East Asia and the first-choice university of the best students. And we wish to position CUHK as the centre for Chinese studies in the world.

"Many academics around the world come to us and we wish to continue to receive the best of these distinguished scholars. And we hope international students will think of Chinese University as their first stop for Chinese studies."

Professor Lau said the UGC would not provide funding for extra colleges at CUHK because other universities in Hong Kong did not have the collegiate structure. But he was determined to develop the college system, which ensured small classes and was a competitive advantage for CUHK.

"A college would probably take a couple of hundred million dollars at the minimum and that is not including the endowments," he said.

He also wanted to increase CUHK's intake of international students from the present 10 per cent to 25 per cent within 10 years and was pressing the government to raise the threshold.

The university will focus extra resources on five key fields - Chinese studies, biomedical sciences, information sciences, economics and finance, and geo-information and earth sciences - which build on existing strengths.

Double degrees and other new types of degrees will be launched, summer courses developed and exchange programmes expanded to provide an exchange opportunity to every interested student.

Last year, the University of Hong Kong launched a $10 billion six-year enhancement plan, aiming to raise $3.5 billion itself, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology launched a $1.9 billion 15-year plan.

 

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CUHK redevelopment too much, too soon for students and alumni
27 October 2007
South China Morning Post

Plans to develop Chinese University of Hong Kong's campus have been criticised as "hasty" and "aggressive".

Students attending a forum on Tuesday to discuss expansion plans claimed a one-month consultation was too short, and asked to be included on the committee overseeing the proposals.

But their request was turned down. CUHK pro-vice-chancellor Ching Pak-chung said his hands were tied when it came to allowing students or alumni to take part in the planning.

"I simply have no authority to appoint student members to the committee, but perhaps we could discuss the issue of university governance in other channels," said Professor Ching, co-chairman of the campus development steering committee.

The committee also refused to disclose planning information submitted by four chosen architectural firms on the grounds that it had to protect sensitive university documents.

The committee was set up in August last year to oversee the expansion of housing and facilities on the Ma Liu Shui campus by at least 120,000 square metres, to cater to an extra 10,000 students over the next 15 years, up from 20,000.

Professor Ching said four architects had drafted designs and one would be chosen by the end of the year.

He ruled out a direct meeting between students and architects because of "financial concerns" and practicalities.

Pro-conservation alumnus Chu Hoi-dick, a member of the Local Action pressure group, told the forum he feared existing buildings would be demolished as part of the development. "Not only experts know how to plan for the future of Chinese University," he said. "We want to have a say in the decision-making process for the designs to determine what sort of university CUHK becomes."

Mr Chu backed the call for the university to reform the committee to include the voices of concerned students, alumni and teaching staff.

However, another committee co-chairman, architecture professor Essy Baniassad, said the consultation deadline was only "tentative".

The university said in a statement after the forum that it was exploring a suitable venue to extend the exhibition of the models beyond the end of the month.

The university also said it was committed to hearing and responding to different views to ensure suggestions and aspirations were reflected in the final design.

It said the models were preliminary and that feedback would help the steering committee make its recommendation.

 

[hkskyline]

University may pick up the tab for "extras" in expansion plan
9 February 2009
Copyright 2009. Sing Tao Group. All rights reserved.

The Chinese University (CU) has acceded to the demands of some alumni and students to revise the library expansion plan to avoid moving the "Beacon Tower", which symbolises freedom of expression in the university. The price of the revision is higher cost and reduced space for the library.

To the CU community, the Beacon Tower is a focus of collective memory as the old Star Ferry Pier was to people in Central. As the spot is close to the library and the offices of campus bodies like the Student Union, it has been a hot spot for student gathering and debates. It is the "Mecca" of student movement in the university, and a symbol of its freedom of speech tradition, hence it is worth keeping, and members of the public may also agree.

Expansion of facilities is needed due to the increased demand from students when the university returns to a four-year system. The library expansion plan will affect the Beacon Tower and would involve building a connecting basement under the Beacon Tower. Under the original plan, the Beacon Tower location will be within the construction area, and the Juming sculpture will be moved away. It will be moved back after the construction is completed in about a year.

Price for keeping Beacon Tower must be reasonable

The plan has met with strong objection from some alumni and students. In response, the university proposed to "raise" the Beacon Tower a bit so that student activities may continue there. Yet, objectors refused to accept this plan, and insisted that the Beacon Tower must not be touched in any way. Hence, the university came up with the third plan, which reduces the space of the future library and increases the construction costs, to avoid the use of the Beacon Tower being disrupted for a year.

If the increased costs are to be paid for by those who insisted that the Tower not be touched, many people will applaud them out of respect. But in reality, the government pays for the expansion, meaning taxpayers pay. As such, the public has a right to demand that their money is spent sensibly.

Some alumni even found the third plan unacceptable, saying that it does not preserve the original landscape, such as the pattern created by shrubs in the vicinity. Just why the shrubs are so important eludes even many members of the CU community.

Extra demands must come with commitment

The latest plan costs more public money and reduces usable space of the library for future generations of students just so that the Beacon Tower would not be closed for one year. Whether this is reasonable is a question the CU community must consider again.

As the university switches from a three-year to a four-year system, the student population will expand by one third. It is, therefore, reasonable for the university to expand its facilities. The problem is that the expansion budget soared as the cost of many hardware rose. Estimates last September were up to 70 percent higher than the original budget made three or four years ago. When the Education Bureau released the figures to the Legislative Council late last year, the public was alarmed. Now that the financial tsunami has lowered material costs, the university is revising its expansion plan budgets correspondingly.

Years ago, when the construction of the University of Science and Technology exceeded its budget, it was criticised sternly by the Audit Commission. The public does not want to see history repeating itself. If the universities want more for their expansion projects, above what taxpayers find reasonable, it is best that they raise the funds needed. As for the alumni who are making various suggestions, they should try to contribute their share, albeit a small portion, to show their commitment.

 

[hkskyline]

Source : http://www.pbase.com/e30

 

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Land for hospitals to go at discount
30 June 2009
The Standard

The four pieces of land allocated for private hospitals may be released to bidders at a discount, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam- kuen said yesterday.

Speaking at a medical sector forum to discuss the city's health-care development, Tsang said the government plans to invite letters of interest by the end of this year.

The parcels of land for hospitals are in Wong Chuk Hang, Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Tung Chung.

He said when the government considers applications, it will also assess whether the arrangement would enhance the growth of the city's health-care business and medical infrastructure.

``We originally wanted to release the land at market price. But after further thought, we decided to offer a discount for hospital operators, provided they meet some reasonable conditions,'' Tsang said.

``The whole arrangement has to be handled in a fair manner. If we decide to offer a discount, then it should be offered to every operator. They will also be subject to additional conditions.''

Tsang underscored that the major consideration in assessing applications is to ensure a fair deal for both the hospital operators and the community.

Hospital services will also have to meet public needs while assuring service quality, Tsang said.

Dean of the medical faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Fok Tai- fai said the university is interested in the Tai Po lot because it is close to the campus.

Fok said the university has set up a special committee to study the feasibility of building a private hospital there in the hope of offering medical students another training center.

He said it was also possible the university might enter into an agreement with a business partner if it decided to go ahead with the new hospital plan.

``But running a private hospital is different. The services provided by a public hospital are usually very comprehensive. But a private hospital usually offers services selectively to make sure it will not suffer a loss,'' Fok said.

Private Hospitals Association chairman Alan Lau Kwok-lam said private hospitals should get a bigger discount on the land, considering the heavy investment needed to build and equip a hospital.

``It's not like running a hotel which can break even rapidly,'' Lau said.

``The financial return for a hospital is usually very slow''

 

[hkskyline]

CUHK hotel project by 鄧麗欣之戀 from skyscrapers.cn :

 

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University plans to get students walking
28 January 2009
South China Morning Post

Scenes of shuttle buses carrying students around the sprawling Chinese University campus in Sha Tin will be consigned to history under an ambitious plan to build a network of express lifts and covered walkways to encourage a culture of walking among students.

The plan to shrink the fleet is among measures proposed by Edward Cullinan, architect of the university's campus master plan, who has come to Hong Kong to collect opinions from students, staff and alumni about his design. Edward Cullinan Architects and Aedas were chosen from four teams in February last year to design the plan for the 134-hectare Ma Liu Shui campus.

The plan, which will guide campus development until 2021, involves a series of moves to transform the remote campus into a sustainable and pedestrian-friendly university.

The proposal to build more than 10 covered walkways and express lifts to connect the four existing and five soon-to-be-built colleges would drastically shorten the time taken to get around the campus.

Professor Cullinan said a walk from University station to Shaw College would take about 20 minutes. "The number of shuttle buses will be diminished {hellip} to probably next to nothing," he said.

Other measures to achieve a carbon-neutral campus include construction of "lock-up cycle racks", energy-efficient buildings using more sturdy insulation materials, natural lighting and roof gardens.

Professor Cullinan said a culture of cycling should be nurtured on campus, adding: "Walking not too fast from one place to another is lovely {hellip} the brain works very well when the body is in light activity."

Other proposed changes include rezoning the campus into various hubs of learning, and construction of more facilities to accommodate an extra 10,000 students over the next 15 years, up from the current 18,000.

The faculty of business administration will be moved from the central campus to near Chung Chi College. The buildings that now house the faculty will be set aside for arts and humanities disciplines.

The 5.3-hectare Area 39, which adjoins the Hong Kong Science Park near Tolo Harbour, will be used to expand research facilities.

Pro-vice-chancellor Ching Pak-chung, who co-chaired the campus development steering committee with architecture professor Essy Baniassad, said they planned to strengthen research capabilities.

Professor Ching said it was impossible to gauge the cost of the master plan at this stage.

 

[hkskyline]

Source : http://www.e-architect.co.uk/hong_kong/chinese_university_hong_kong.htm

 

[hkskyline]

Press Release
24 September 2009
Nobel Laureate in Economics Joined CUHK as Distinguished Professor-at-Large
Professor Robert Mundell Lectured at CUHK on Global Financial Crisis

Professor Robert A. Mundell, world-renowned economist and Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences 1999, joined The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) as Distinguished Professor-at-Large on 1 September 2009. Currently, five world-class masters are serving as Distinguished Professor-at-Large at CUHK, three of them Nobel Laureates. CUHK is also the only university in Hong Kong with Nobel Laureates among its faculty members. As Distinguished Professor-at-Large, Professor Mundell will stay at the Chinese University for two months each year to do teaching and provide leadership for the cause of general academic advancement.

To mark the first anniversary of the financial tsunami, Professor Mundell gave a lecture titled ‘Financial Crisis and Its Implications for the Future of the International Monetary System’ on CUHK campus today (24 September). The lecture was warmly received by six hundred CUHK staff and students, members of the political, business, and academic sectors, and the public.

One of the major implications of the recent financial crisis is the need to reform the current international monetary system, of which the US Dollar is the dominant currency. During the financial crisis, the system was said to have brought about massive losses to the global economy. It is thus of vital importance to maintain a stable international monetary system, so as to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the global economy. In the lecture, Professor Mundell shared his insights on the financial crisis and its implications for the future of the international monetary system. His analysis shed new light on the development of a new and fair international monetary system.

Professor Mundell was born in 1932. After graduating from the University of British Columbia in Economics and Slavonic Studies, he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the London School of Economics, receiving his PhD from MIT in 1956. He taught at Stanford University and The Johns Hopkins Bologna Center of Advanced International Studies before joining the International Monetary Fund in 1961. From 1966 to 1971, he was Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and Editor of the Journal of Political Economy. Since 1974, he has been Professor of Economics and since 2001, University Professor at Columbia University in New York.

Professor Mundell prepared one of the first plans for a common currency in Europe and is known as the father of the theory of optimum currency areas. He has also played an early role in the founding of the Euro. In 1999, he received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for ‘his analysis of monetary and fiscal policy under different exchange rate regimes and his analysis of optimum currency areas’. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada in the same year, and in 2005 was awarded the Global Economics Award of the Kiel Institute, Germany, and appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Merit. He has also written extensively on the history of the international monetary system. His writings include over a hundred articles in scientific journals and books.

Throughout the years, Professor Mundell has received over fifty honorary professorships and doctorates. He has also been an adviser to a number of international agencies and organizations including the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Commission, and several governments in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe, the Federal Reserve Board, the United States Treasury and the Government of Canada.

The lecture was broadcast live to local universities, and the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks with the aim of extending its benefits and raising public awareness of the issues discussed. It was available on the Hong Kong Education City web site for online viewing by secondary school students and teachers. There was also a live feed to major mainland universities.

The Distinguished Professor-at-Large is a specially created chair with university-wide responsibilities. Besides Professor Mundell, the other four CUHK Distinguished Professors-at-Large are Professor Yang Chen-ning, the first Chinese Nobel Laureate; Professor Sir James A. Mirrlees, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences 1996; Professor Yau Shing-tung, Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences of CUHK and the only Chinese Fields Medallist; and Professor Andrew Chi-chih Yao, the first Chinese scientist to receive the prestigious Turing Award, the highest honour in computer science. They have made remarkable contributions to the University in providing quality education and strengthening the relation between Hong Kong and the international scholarly community. As a comprehensive research university with a global vision, the Chinese University will continue to strengthen the relation between Hong Kong and the international scholarly community and to make further contributions to Hong Kong and the entire region.

 

[hkskyline]

University to produce more pharmacists
5 July 2010
SCMP

Internships at a major personal health chain store will be compulsory for pharmacy students at Chinese University, which plans to double its intake in the face of increasing demand for community pharmacists.

At least 200 more community pharmacists will be required in a reform of the industry following a series of drug-related blunders last year.

Among the government measures announced last year to strengthen drug safety, a pharmacist must be present in the city's 450 pharmacies for the entire business day instead of the previous requirement of two-thirds of business hours.

More government pharmacists will also be needed as the Department of Health steps up the scrutiny of local drug manufacturers.

Chinese University, which produces the most pharmacists, plans to double its student intake to 60 by 2012. It hopes 130 pharmacists will be trained in the next five years.

As part of the expansion, the university will hire four to six more assistant professors.

The curriculum will also be revised to include more training in the community.

Meanwhile, 65 pharmacists are expected to graduate in the next five years from the University of Hong Kong.

Professor Vincent Lee Hon-leung, director of Chinese University's pharmacy school, said a proposal to raise student intake would be submitted to the University Grants Committee in December and it hoped to get a reply by June next year.

He said a new curriculum was necessary as pharmacy students still thought that working in public hospitals was their only goal.

"We need to tell our students where to go apart from the Hospital Authority," Lee said. "The job of a community pharmacist is interesting. It acts as the middle layer between doctors and patients."

The school is in talks with a major personal health chain store on a possible internship. The idea is that a teacher will be on-site to monitor the performance of students, while students will get a real-world experience of patient-pharmacist interaction.

"Our students tend to be more reserved. It is essential to train them to meet patients, since pharmacists need to make sure that patients adhere to the therapy," Lee said.

He said students would also be offered an optional internship on the mainland, where they could improve their Putonghua and familiarise themselves with the health-care system there.

Under the industry reform, pharmacists will be increasingly required to work in teams with doctors and nurses.

Lee said they would build the bonds early - pharmacy, medicine and nursing students would be required to take a few common courses in their first year.

In another programme that is being considered, students would work together in clinics during their senior years, he said.

Teachers would also be encouraged to indulge in more discussions. "We need to make our students more confident, so that they can deal with patients and other medical professionals easily," he said.

Meanwhile, the University of Hong Kong, which launched its pharmacy programme only a year ago, said it was prepared to train more pharmacists.

A spokeswoman said an accreditation process was under way to allow its first batch of graduates to register as pharmacists without having to take external examinations.

With only 1,785 pharmacists, Hong Kong has a ratio of 24 pharmacists per 100,000 people. This compares with 78 in Britain, 25 in Taiwan and 179 in Japan.

Health-care jobs

CUHK's plan to raise student intake:

2009-10: 30

2010-11: 35

2011-12: 45

2012-13 and thereafter: 60

Medical workers per 100,000 people

HK: 570 (390 nurses, 156 doctors, 24 pharmacists)

Taiwan: 824 (516 nurses, 183 doctors, 125 pharmacists)

Britain: 819 (571 nurses, 170 doctors, 78 pharmacists)

Japan: 1,338 (947 nurses, 212 doctors, 179 pharmacists)

 

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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?"

 

[hkskyline]

CUHK eyes its own hospital
1 February 2011
The Standard

Chinese University of Hong Kong plans to build a specialist non-profit private hospital to meet the needs of middle-class patients if it can secure a site in Tai Po.

Vice chancellor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu said the proposed 300-bed facility would specialize in surgery, urology and obstetrics, and gynecology _ areas in which public hospitals are struggling to cope.

It would also be used by university researchers to develop advanced medical technologies.

``We aim to provide specialist services to patients who are on a long waiting list for treatment in the public system, and who require a relatively short hospital stay,'' Sung said yesterday.

Specialist services requiring long-stay care _ such as infectious diseases, rehabilitation and geriatrics _ would not be available, said the former associate dean of the CUHK faculty of medicine.

``The package charge will be fixed on the level of private services of local public hospitals,'' he said. ``All patients are welcome, and we hope a middle-class family will think it is an affordable service.''

For the existing private services in the public sector, in-patient consultation fees range from HK$550 to HK$2,250 a day.

Sung said his university plans to get a construction loan of HK$2 billion for the hospital in New Territories East, as opposed to HK$4 billion reported earlier.

The timeframe for implementing the proposed project is yet to be confirmed, according to a university spokeswoman.

She said the private hospital, operated without joint partnerships with other companies, would act as ``a new operating model for private hospital services,'' contributing to government health-care reforms.

Promoting private hospital development is one of the initiatives under the reforms announced by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam- kuen in his policy address last year.

The 2.6-hectare site in Tai Po is one of four areas reserved for the construction of hospital complexes. The other three are located in Wong Chuk Hang, Tseung Kwan O, and Lantau.

The government received six ``expressions of interest'' submissions for the Tai Po site last March.

 

[hkskyline]

4 July 2011
CUHK Signs Collaboration Agreement in Shenzhen to Establish
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)
Press Release

With the staunch support of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) signed a Collaboration Agreement in Shenzhen today (4 July) with Shenzhen University to establish The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), marking an important milestone in the University's venture to offer education in Shenzhen. The plan represents a historical step in CUHK's development in mainland China, and promises to have a profound impact on the training of top talents and on technology innovation in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta (PRD), the long-term prosperity of Hong Kong, as well as educational reform in China. The agreement was signed by Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, and Prof. Zhang Bigong, President of Shenzhen University. The signing was witnessed by Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the Council, CUHK; Mr Luo Weiqi, Director-General of Department of Education of Guangdong Province; and Ms Wu Yihuan, Vice-Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government.

Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the University Council, thanked the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Shenzhen University for their full support and collaboration. He remarked at the signing ceremony, ‘The establishment of a CUHK Shenzhen campus will nurture talents who are international in outlook, learned in their subjects, moral in character, and innovative in thinking, and aims at exploring a new direction for the higher education reform in China. It capitalizes on the strengths of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province through collaboration in the areas of education, technology and culture to promote long-term integrated development of the PRD region. CUHK (SZ) will inherit the academic excellence of CUHK to become a preferred research university located in Shenzhen, firmly rooted in China, and endowed with a global vision.'

According to the Collaboration Agreement signed today, CUHK will be responsible for daily management, teaching and research, and faculty recruitment, making reference to the educational and operational principles of its Shatin campus, and ensuring that the quality is on a par with that in Hong Kong; Shenzhen University will be responsible for liaising with Shenzhen Municipal Government in relation to matters concerning the campus site and infrastructure.

The campus of CUHK (SZ) will be located to the south of Dayun Park in Longgang District, and will have an area of around 1 million square metres (100 hectares), within which half is buildable area. CUHK (SZ) will be constructed in two phases, with an ultimate student population of around 11,000. CUHK (SZ) will recruit the best students. Undergraduate students will be admitted through the National Colleges and Universities Enrolment System as well as independent recruitment, on a selective basis. Admission criteria for postgraduate students will be modeled on current CUHK practice, which considers applicants' academic and research performance. The Senate of CUHK will be responsible for the approval and monitoring of programmes offered by CUHK (SZ).

Instruction will be bilingual (Chinese and English), and emphasis will be placed on innovative and inter-disciplinary subjects. In the early stage, CUHK (SZ) will first launch programmes in science, engineering, economics and management, in particular including subjects such as information engineering, energy engineering, advanced manufacturing, environmental science and engineering, biological science, material science, financial services, business administration and economics.

The governing body of CUHK (SZ) will be its Executive Board (理事會), to be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK and to comprise eight members each nominated by CUHK and Shenzhen University. The Chairman will have a casting vote. The management structure will be different from that of most mainland universities: the President of CUHK (SZ) will be responsible for the management, under the leadership of the Executive Board. The University will uphold academic freedom, foster an open academic environment and will be managed along modern and democratic principles.

Throughout the deliberations on establishing CUHK (SZ), CUHK has adhered to the following principles: CUHK (SZ) must ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is on a par with that at CUHK; the Shenzhen campus must enjoy academic freedom; and the set-up and operation of the Shenzhen campus must be financed independently, with no cross-subsidy from the Shatin campus. Consensus with the Shenzhen authorities has been reached on these principles, which were clearly spelt out in the Framework Agreement signed in March and forms the basis for the Agreement signed today, and for the planning and implementation going forward. The Shenzhen Municipal Government has agreed to provide the piece of land for the campus of CUHK (SZ) free of charge; it will also be responsible for the provision of the campus facilities and campus construction, and will provide a subsidy according to the number of students. It is expected that a detailed agreement on implementation plans will be reached and signed in one year’s time.

CUHK formed a Task Force in October 2009 to explore the feasibility of establishing a campus in Shenzhen. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Shenzhen Municipal Government in February 2010, and a Framework Agreement was signed in March this year. On many occasions the University has engaged its staff, students, alumni and academic faculties for consultation and exchange of information, to report on progress and to gather views. Responses have been enthusiastic. In future, CUHK will continue to collect views to refine the establishment plan.

 

[Ashley Blith]

Awesome updates!

 

[hkskyline]

Press Release
13 December 2011
CUHK Shaw College Huen Wing Ming Building Works Commenced
Multi-purpose Learning Centre to Provide Quality Learning Environment for Students

The Works Commencement Ceremony for Huen Wing Ming Building of the Shaw College at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was recently held, marking the commencement of works and preparation to meet the increasing demand for quality learning facilities upon the double cohort admission in 2012. The building will house a multi-purpose learning centre equipped with up-to-date IT hardware and software to facilitate acquisition of knowledge, learning and exchange with people all over the world.

Officiated by Mr. Patrick Huen and his family members in conjunction with Prof. Joseph J Y Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK; Mr. Clement Fung, Chairman of Board of Trustees, Shaw College; and Prof. Andrew C F Chan, Head of Shaw College, the ceremony was participated by some 120 teachers, students and friends of the College.

Professor Chan highlighted the importance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in learning from each other, locally and internationally; while Professor Sung expressed his gratitude to Mr. Huen and his family for their generous support, and shared how impressed he was by Mr. Huen’s passion to acquire new knowledge.

Mr. Patrick Huen expected the Centre will become a ‘World Café’ and a ‘Learning Organization’ so that students can learn through modern ICT to achieve ‘learning without border’.

The Huen Wing Ming Building Multi-purpose Learning Centre costs over HK$24 million. It is funded by the generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Huen, Mr. and Mrs. Ian Huen, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Man as well as the University Grants Committee. The Centre is expected to be completed by summer in 2012.

 

[hkskyline]

25 November 2011
Foundation Stone Laid for CW Chu College at CUHK
A New College for Young Adults to Realize Their Potential and for Scholars to Engage with the World
Press Release

CW Chu College, one of the five new colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) established during 2006-07, held its Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony today (25 November). The ceremony, attended by about 150 friends, mentors, Chu Scholars, College Fellows and teachers, marked the commencement of the college construction work. Officiating at the ceremony were Mr. David Chu, Director, CW Chu Foundation; Dr. Peter Yip, Member, Planning Committee, CW Chu College, CUHK; Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the Council, CUHK; Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor, CUHK; and Prof. Kenneth Young, Master, CW Chu College, CUHK.

In his opening address, Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung expressed his gratitude to Mr. David Chu, the eldest son of Dr. CW Chu and a Director of the CW Chu Foundation, for his generous support, and also to Dr. Peter Yip, a member of the College's Planning Committee and a past beneficiary of the scholarships provided by the late Dr. CW Chu, for initiating and supporting the establishment of the College. Professor Sung also thanked The Lanson Foundation and Dr. Ina Chan for their major donations to support the construction of the college campus.

Professor Sung spoke about his expectations of the College, 'In the fall of 2012, the College will be welcoming its first batch of students. These founding students will join the College's enthusiastic team to shape the College's character.'

Mr. David Chu shared in his speech the vision of Dr. CW Chu in supporting young men and women to study abroad in the 1970s, and voiced his wish, on behalf of the CW Chu Foundation, that the students of the College will be inspired by Dr. Chu's spirit to contribute to society.

'I am proud of being one of the Chu Scholars (朱仔), like many others present today. What I have learnt from Mr. CW Chu is his sincerity, passion and unwavering commitment. It was his dedication to help provide education to many of us that changed our lives, giving us opportunities to serve society,' shared Dr. Peter Yip, a Chu Scholar who initiated and supported the establishment of the College.

Prof. Kenneth Young, Master of the College, introduced the vision and mission of the College. The Fellows and teachers are committed to building a community that will be intimate, international, intellectual and involved. The first cohort of 75 students will be admitted in summer 2012, and will be enrolled into the new curriculum. They will be able to enjoy full residence on campus for all four years, and will participate in communal dining.

For more photos, please visit:
http://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/events_recap_detail.php?1=1&1=1&id=38&s=

 

[hkskyline]

Bidding for new campus to be launched
2012-February-29 08:53
Shenzhen Daily

PUBLIC bidding for construction of Shenzhen campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will be launched at the end of the month, according to the city’s education bureau.

The bidding documents and requirements of the campus’ plan have been announced by the city’s bureau of public works, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.

According to the plan, the campus will be located southwest of the Universiade Sports Center in Longgang District. Covering a total area of 100 hectares, the total construction area will reach 450,000 square meters. There will be two phases of the construction. The campus will enroll about 7,000 students after the first phase of construction is finished. Total investment on the construction is about 1.5 billion yuan (US$238 million).

The CUHK set up a special team for the Shenzhen campus in October 2009, making it the first Hong Kong university to open a campus on the mainland.

According to the current regulation, universities in foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are not allowed to set up education organizations on the mainland, so the CUHK will jointly run the new campus with Shenzhen University.

According to the agreement, the two universities will cooperate in areas such as management, teaching resources and scientific research. The campus will start enrollment in 2013. A total of 7,000 students will be enrolled in the first year and the number of students is expected to eventually reach 11,000. Among them, about 30 percent will be students holding Shenzhen hukou, said Zhang Bigong, president of Shenzhen University.

 

[hkskyline]

CUHK Shenzhen campus to enroll 7,000 students next year
2012-October-12 08:53
Shenzhen Daily

THE Shenzhen campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), which was recently approved by the Ministry of Education and broke ground in Longgang District on Thursday, is scheduled to begin enrolling students in 2013.

The first phase of enrollment will involve about 7,000 students and the second phase will add 4,000 more, CUHK president Sung Jao-yiu said Thursday at the university’s groundbreaking event, at which a ceremonial foundation stone was set in the ground.

At least 30 percent of the initial 7,000 students will have Shenzhen hukou.

Enrollment will be open to students from around the world, and outstanding students from migrant workers’ families will be eligible for scholarships.

Covering about 100 hectares, the Shenzhen campus is located north of Longxiang Boulevard and southwest of Longgang Universiade Center. Planning lasted more than five years.

“Construction of the university is one of the key projects in the collaboration between Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. It is an exploration of introducing high-end education resources from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, studying new education methods and incubating high-end professionals who will be suitable for regional development,” Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan said at Thursday’s ceremony. “The provincial government will provide more support to help the development of the university.”

The university will offer majors including information engineering, resource engineering, advanced manufacturing, environmental science and engineering, biology, material engineering, financial services, business management and economics. The majors are not only strong aspects of the university but also will help the development of the Pearl River Delta area, Sung said.

Leading experts in related fields will be recruited from around the world.

 

[hkskyline]

Press Release
11 October 2012
Planning of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)
Approved by the State Ministry of Education

The establishment of The Chinese University of Hong Kong(Shenzhen) is an initiative to help train future generations of university graduates who are international in outlook, learned in the disciplines they follow, upright in their character, and committed to serving the needs of society. It is an endeavour that will have a profound impact on the training of top talents and the educational reform in China, and will also contribute to the long-term prosperity of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is delighted that this educational initiative is endorsed by the State Ministry of Education (MoE) which announces today its approval for the planning of CUHK (SZ). A ceremony was held today (11 October) at the proposed site of CUHK (SZ) in Longgang District, Shenzhen, in the presence of Wang Yang, Secretary, Guangdong Provincial Committee; Zhu Xiaodan, Vice Secretary of Guangdong Provincial Committee and Governor of Guangdong Provincial Government; Du Yubo, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Education; Wang Rong, Secretary, Shenzhen Municipal Committee; Xu Qin, Mayor of Shenzhen; Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration, Hong Kong SAR Government; Eddie Ng, Secretary for Education, Hong Kong SAR Government; Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the Council, CUHK; Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor, CUHK; and Mona Fong, Chairperson, The Sir Run Run Shaw Charitable Trust.

At the proposed CUHK (SZ), instruction will be bilingual (Chinese and English), and emphasis will be placed on general education and college education. In its initial plan, CUHK (SZ) will launch in phases programmes in science, engineering, economics, management and humanities, including various innovative and inter-disciplinary subjects. The Senate of CUHK will be responsible for the approval and monitoring of programmes offered by CUHK (SZ).

CUHK (SZ) will be a non-profit-making higher education institution with the status of an independent legal entity. The governing body of CUHK (SZ) will be its Executive Board (理事會), to be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK and to comprise eight members each nominated by CUHK and Shenzhen University. The Chairman will have a casting vote. The President of CUHK (SZ) will be responsible for the management, under the leadership of the Executive Board. The University will uphold academic freedom, foster an open academic environment and will be managed along modern and democratic principles.

The set-up and operation of CUHK (SZ) will be financed independently, with no cross-subsidy from the Shatin campus. The major sources of operating funds are tuition fees, donations, subsidies from The Shenzhen Municipal Government and other subsidies for scientific research. The campus of CUHK (SZ) will be located in Longgang District on the outskirts of northeastern Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Municipal Government has allocated an area of around 100 hectares for campus development.

CUHK formed a Task Force in October 2009 to explore the feasibility of establishing a campus in Shenzhen. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Shenzhen Municipal Government in February 2010, and a Framework Agreement was signed in March 2011. In July 2011, a collaboration agreement was signed between CUHK and Shenzhen University. The University set up various committees in April this year to discuss and contribute ideas to academic, campus development, personnel and financial planning issues of CUHK (SZ). On many occasions the University has engaged its staff, students, alumni and academic faculties for consultation and exchange of information, to report on progress and to gather views. In future, CUHK will continue to refine the establishment plan and will sign a formal collaboration agreement with the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Shenzhen University. Upon approval of the University Council on the agreement, the University will work with Shenzhen University to move ahead in planning for the future operations of CUHK (SZ), including the curriculum, campus infrastructure, organizational structure, etc. With the support of the Council, the University will make further applications to MoE for the formal establishment of CUHK (SZ).