The Court
The Court, the University’s highest advisory body,
held two meetings during the period under review.
In October 2013, Members received a report from
the President which covered,
inter alia
, an update
on institutional advancement and outreach, staff
recruitment and campus development, etc. At the
meeting, Members were also apprised of the University’s
newly developed platform on online teaching which is
an innovative learning model to go with the four-year
undergraduate curriculum.
The meeting held in April 2014 focused on internationalization
strategy, a key initiative in the University’s five-year Plan.
The University’s continuous efforts to forge international
relationships have brought dividends in global and
regional reputation and branding, and benefited
students by broadening their international exposure and
intercultural experiences.
The Council
The Council is the University’s highest governing body. It
held four meetings during 2013-14. A number of issues
had been reviewed by Members, which include refining
the University’s Mainland strategies.
Council appreciated that the University had worked
out a long-term development plan of the Guangzhou
HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute (FYTRI), which
calls for a re-focus of the Fok Ying Tung Graduate
School and the FYTRI on the one hand, and the
engagement of the HKUST R and D Corporation Limited
and Technology Transfer Center on the other. According
to this development plan, the respective units would
be placed under one umbrella thus creating synergy
as a Mainland platform to achieve HKUST’s mission in
knowledge transfer.
I n add i t i on, the t a lk s e r i e s by HKUST s en i o r
administrators, initiated to give Council and Court
Member s fur ther insight into the Univer sit y ’s
development, opened up opportunities for an informal
exchange of views and better communication.
The Court, Council and Senate are the three main bodies that constitute
the governance structure at HKUST, as provided for under the University
Ordinance and Statutes
GOVERNANCE
The Senate
The Senate, the supreme academic body of
the University, is responsible for driving and
regulating the University’s academic policies.
During the year, a number of new programs
were introduced and modifications made
to others to keep abreast of student needs.
A set of revised guidelines for faculty
performance assessment was approved,
clearly defining performance excellence in
teaching, research and service.
To enhance quality control, the Senate
established a system of periodic reviews
for all taught postgraduate programs
offered by the University. Such reviews
will follow a standard model, including
internal self- evaluation, review of
documents, visits by qualified external
panel, and preparation of a report to the
relevant Dean.
The Senate also adopted an Equal
Opportunities Policy for Admission of
Applicants with Disability.
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