HKUST Annual Report 2018-19

5 HKUST In November 2018, President Wei SHYY was officially installed as President to take the helm of the University after his dedicated service as Provost for eight years. Since then, Prof. Shyy has been leading HKUST to navigate through complex and fast-changing tech-driven development amidst a world filled with global challenges and propel our institution to greater heights. The Council Members and I have every confidence in his leadership to keep the University advancing from strength to strength. Last year also saw the great loss of our University’s founding Council Chairman Dr. CHUNG Sze-Yuen. Dr. Chung, a key public figure in Hong Kong for more than 50 years and one of HKUST’s earliest champions, who helped to steer the “thirduniversity” project fromconception and planning to establishment in 1991 as Hong Kong’s only research-focused institution at that time. Dr. Chung had a clear vision of the need for a leading science and technology university to provide the innovative talents and original knowledge to take Hong Kong forward into the future. He then worked for more than two decades in numerous leadership roles to set HKUST on its way to becoming the remarkable university today – ranked No. 1 in the World’s Top 350 Young Universities (Times Higher Education) in 2019 and its graduates placed No. 16 in the Global University Employability Ranking (Emergence/Trendence) in 2018 and No. 1 in Greater China for the sixth consecutive year. Dr. Chung’s contribution was irreplaceable and HKUST remains forever grateful for his vision, wisdom, and guidance. In a continuation of that spirit of boldness and far- sightedness, a major initiative was publicly launched in December 2018 thatwill assist theUniversity in sustaining and forging ahead as an engine of innovation and creativity in the decades to come, with the signing of a tripartite agreement with the Guangdong Municipal Government and Guangzhou University to establish HKUST (GZ). The initiative, which marks a significant milestone for HKUST’s venture in offering education in Guangzhou, will nurture internationalized talent and facilitate closer collaboration among Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and beyond on education, research, and commercialization. To support important decision- making and in line with its supervisory role, the Council has established a Task Force on the Proposed HKUST (GZ), with members meeting seven times to discuss related governance matters over the year. The new campus represents an increase in scale and scope for HKUST, and keeps the University at the forefront of trends and emerging fields. It will aid the University in building a rich talent pool and accessing to funding and resources to carry out the complex research necessary to address the challenging social and economic issues in the region that await solutions. Such expansion will bring far- reaching impact on technology innovation and industrial upgrading in the Mainland and Asia while strengthening knowledge transfer to bridge Hong Kong’s gap in high- tech manufacturing. HKUST (GZ) will follow the spirits of HKUST in academic excellence, innovation and entrepreneurship, while adhering to its educational vision, resources and teaching quality in quest of becoming a world-class bay area university. Another positive move resulted in the signing of the University Accountability Agreement in June 2019 following three years of dialogue with the University Grants Committee (UGC). The Agreement exhibits the joint efforts between HKUST and the UGC to advance the University’smission and vision, strengthen its governance, and drive continuous improvement in terms of student experience, research endeavors, knowledge transfer, internationalization, and financial health and institutional sustainability, contributing to delivering the highest quality education in Hong Kong. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Council Members, Administration of the University and faculty, donors, alumni, and students for their great efforts to propel HKUST to new heights over the current year. Looking ahead is never easy but as our late founding Council Chairman showed, with the right direction, planning, and positive energy, the results can be spectacular. I look forward to this continuing at HKUST and to the University’s on-going elevation. Chairman, University Council MR. ANDREW LIAO CHEUNG-SING GBS, JP It has certainly been a year of change, achievements, and growth at HKUST. We have seen the installation of the University’s fourth President as well as the sad departure of one of HKUST’s pivotal founding members. In a further major development, there has been the announcement of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST (GZ)) agreement, which will open up many invigorating opportunities for HKUST to improve its global competitiveness as a research-oriented, elite, science, technology, business and social science institution.