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HKUST 2015-2016 Annual Report
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CHAIRMAN’S
FOREWORD
Year Two undergraduates, embracing internship,
mentoring and student fellowship. Today’s graduates
enter a highly competitive workforce environment and
being prepared and connected to society early through
such a program can provide a distinctive edge as well
as allow more employers to gain insight into HKUST.
Indeed, Council members are proud to contribute
to and be a part of the HKUST family, and the splendid
25th Anniversary celebrations on-going locally and
globally throughout the year have illuminated just
how much this University has to be proud of just a
quarter of a century after establishment. Despite the
University’s relative youth, past months have shown
that the University has already achieved the academic
standing and respect to draw eminent university
presidents, internationally renowned academics, top
government, business and community leaders to its
commemorative events; fostered alumni who have
rapidly distinguished themselves as researchers,
entrepreneurs, and through service; and attained the
global reach to hold activities around the world.
Numerous different rankings over the past year have
also shown the high-flying position that HKUST now
occupies, being placed No.2 in the QS World’s Top
50 Universities Under 50 surveys in 2015, No.28 in the
QS World’s Top 800 Universities – and No.1 in Hong
Kong – in 2015-16, and No.14 in Emerging/Trendence’s
Global Employability University Ranking, among
others. Perhaps more, they serve to indicate just how
much can be achieved in 25 years when all members
of the University community are jointly focused on
academic and research excellence.
I therefore welcome this opportunity to thank my fellow
Council members, the President, senior management
and the HKUST community, for the time they have
devoted and energy they have shown on behalf of the
University’s advancement. The past 12 months have
been very busy but highly productive and memorable
ones that should set the University well on track for
greater international eminence and contribution
to society in the years ahead.
Chairman, University Council
THE HON ANDREW C S LIAO,
GBS, SC, JP
I
n 2015-16, the University has taken significant
steps to fortify capabilities as an institution
to retain and enhance its world-leading position
in the future, and I have been pleased to steer the
Council toward a more actively engaged role in line
with these forward-looking initiatives.
Among the Council’s endeavors over the year,
members have provided consultative input on the
HKUST Five-Year Strategic Plan 2016-2020. The plan’s
major objectives focus on recruitment and retention of
talents, education and research leadership, innovation
and entrepreneurship, administrative excellence, and
the championing of diversity, and should effectively
position the University to drive forward as a world-class
higher education institution.
Further moves saw a Knowledge Transfer Committee
established under the Council in alignment with the
University’s mission to assist in Hong Kong’s social and
economic development and the increasing emphasis on
knowledge transfer collaboration between faculty and
industry as drivers of the future local and global economy.
To strengthen University governance, a Task Force
to review the Council’s effectiveness in fulfilling
its duties, including committees, has been up
and running since August 2015. Following the
government’s endorsement of the University Grants
Committee’s report on “Governance in UGC-funded
Higher Education Institutions in Hong Kong” in March
2016, the Council decided to extend the Task Force’s
term for one year, until August 2017. This will provide
more time to examine the action needed to respond
to the report’s recommendations, among other issues.
Effective governance, as noted in the report, must
provide a balance between institutional autonomy and
academic freedom along with public accountability
to inspire public trust and international reputation,
and the HKUST Council undertakes its responsibilities
in full knowledge of the key role it plays in assisting the
University governance to advance.
Along with supporting the University’s senior
management, the Council helped to boost students’
future prospects on a practical level, with the
Institutional Advancement and Outreach Committee
overseeing the introduction of the Headstart@HKUST
Program. This is an enterprising workplace immersion
and career development scheme for Year One and
