HKUST Annual Report 2018-19

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19 50 THE COUNCIL As the University’s highest governance body, the Council seeks top standards of corporate governance in steering HKUST’s overall direction. During 2018-19, the Council and its various committees continued to monitor the University’s institutional priorities in line with strategic needs and to oversee the work of the administration. Council members provided advice to facilitate senior management’s setting of objectives and formulation of the University’s institutional-specific key performance indicators. This aligns with the recommendation under the University Grants Committee (UGC)’s “Governance in UGC-funded Higher Education Institutions in Hong Kong Report” (“the Newby Report”) on the Council’s monitoring role. On behalf of HKUST and as part of a strategic dialogue with the UGC and stakeholders, the Council Chair and the President signed the University Accountability Agreement in June 2019. In accordance with the University’s initiative to actively look for opportunities that complement its academic and research endeavors, the Council gave its support to senior management’s plan to collaborate with the Guangzhou government and Guangzhou University to establish the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), also referred to as HKUST (GZ). To assist with such decision-making, the Council formed a Task Force on the Proposed HKUST (GZ) in November 2018 to provide timely advice to management. During the review period, the Council convened four special meetings and the Guangzhou campus task force met seven times to discuss related governance issues. THE COURT The Court met twice in 2018-19 to receive reports from the Council and University management. In November 2018, Court Members were apprised of major changes to policies as reviewed or approved by Council and forthcoming plans. Over the year, Court Members also gave specific advice on the University’s strategic direction in areas including internationalization, innovation, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration to enhance HKUST’s competitiveness in the tertiary education sector. At the May 2019 meeting, Dr. Vincent LO, Honorary Chairman of the Court, gave a presentation on his experiences of doing business in Mainland China over the past 40 years. The talk and panel discussion that followed assisted the University community in considering the mainland higher education landscape and prospects in light of the University’s new Guangzhou campus. THE SENATE The Senate continued to review proposals to boost the teaching and learning experience of existing academic programs. Modifications to the JUPAS admission route and School of Science admission requirements were among the items considered, along with academic policies, regulations, and guidelines related to academic integrity and student conduct. On the pedagogical innovation front, the Senate approved total online delivery for three courses of the Master of Arts in International Language Education. Building on the existing Graduate Teaching Assistant Training program, the Senate also reviewed and approved courses to enhance core professional competencies of research postgraduate students. GOVERNANCE The Council, Court, and Senate are the University’s supreme governing, advisory and academic bodies