6
HKUST 2011-2012 Annual Report
President’s Report
Being globally visible is helpful in drawing a greater number of international,
regional and Mainland students. A record number of 6,900 high-caliber
Mainland students applied and 172 were admitted this year. Meanwhile, overseas
students now account for half of our non-local student intake which, at 20%
of our undergraduate admissions, makes us the most international among local
universities.
A sign of our coming of age
is our growing army of alumni
— now surpassing 40,000,
scattered across four corners
of the earth. In my visits to
Europe, North America and
the Mainland, meeting our
alumni has been a special joy
known only to those who
share the same identity. I am
proud to learn that many of
them are leaders in their own
fields and contributors to our
own cause. Finally, this young
university is old enough to have
its first generation of alumni
supporters.
For this year, our first order of business is preparing for the advent of the 334
reform. The
yin
and
yang
of our new educational design is the broad-based
curriculum and the interdisciplinary approach we adopt, in which students learn
by doing and daring. Our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
has been such a stellar success that it has now spawned the new International
Research Opportunities Program (IROP), whereby our undergraduates will be able
to conduct faculty-led research in overseas universities, of which MIT is one.
Research is the cornerstone of our success as a university of science and technology.
Our professors continue to make significant social impact and win recognition
with their research. Our scientific score sheet for 2011-12 is impressive. This
year six HKUST professors were elected IEEE Fellows, the most among Asian
universities. Three of our professors were elected members of the prestigious
Chinese Academy of Sciences, the highest academic title conferred by the Chinese
government for research achievement in science and technology. Our Dean of
Science, Prof Nancy Ip was awarded the Knight of l’Ordre National du Mérite by
