48
HKUST 2011-2012 Annual Report
INTERNATIONAL AND MAINLAND STRATEGY
INTERNATIONAL VISION
The University was ranked Asia’s no. 1 in the
QS Asian
University Rankings
for two consecutive years in 2011
and 2012. During the year, HKUST continued to extend
strategic partnerships with top universities overseas. Its
exchange program comprising more than 200 partners
worldwide is indicative of the reputation the University has
established globally.
The University is pleased to see its rapid rise recognized
in major global publications.
The Road to Academic
Excellence: The Making of World-Class Research
Universities
, featured HKUST as a case study of elite
global universities and key institutions in 21st century
knowledge economies. The University was further cited
in the
New York Times
and received coverage from major
international media, including the
BBC
,
University World
News
, and
Times Higher Education
in the UK, and
AEF
in
France.
Energizing strategic connections
The University enjoyed another productive year in
its global outreach activities, substantially raising its
profile internationally through overseas visits by senior
management to forge closer ties and more strategic
partnerships.
President Tony F Chan led two large-scale overseas trips
that created valuable links to move internationalization
forward, raised the University’s profile, and built
connections with overseas alumni. In Fall 2011,
the President visited 10 leading universities and two
institutions in Europe, accompanied by the Vice-
President for Institutional Advancement. They included
the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, École
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, École Normale
Supérieure, Leiden University, European Organization for
Nuclear Research and the World Economic Forum. In
early 2012, the President, the VPIA and four School Deans
visited the west coast of North America, going to Stanford
University, California Institute of Technology, University
of Southern California, University of British Columbia,
University of Washington, and Google, among others.
The team took part in over 20 media interviews. They
also boosted worldwide faculty recruitment via 13 PhD
student briefing sessions hosted by the President, with
700 participants from diverse fields attending.
HKUST entered into 42 agreements with top universities
worldwide, including Harvard University, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, the University of Oxford, KTH
Royal Institute of Technology and the University of British
Columbia.
In addition, Presidents and Vice-Presidents from top
universities around the world flew to Hong Kong to
discuss strategic collaborations with HKUST. Among
them were senior representatives from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, University of Southern California,
University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, École
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Utrecht University,
the University of Virginia, Paris Science et Lettres, and
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.
Two receptions were held for Consul Generals in Hong
Kong from 21 countries. Guests were introduced to
HKUST senior management and the University’s strategic
plan. Visits by the University’s management to Consul
Generals in Hong Kong provided updates on these
countries.
HKUST continued to be the Chair University of the
Association of East Asian Research Universities up to
31 December 2011, and to provide leadership in
enhancing collaborations among top universities in
the region.
