HKUST Strategic Plan 2011-16

Abstract

Strategic Plan 2011-16 HKUST Towards our next miracle Foreword K In 2005, fifteen years after its establishment, HKUST developed a broad brush fifteen-year strategic vision, “The HKUST 2020 Strategic Plan: Building on Excellence”, as an articulation of aspirations to advance the University to the next level of prestige and accomplishment. Being a third of the way into the fifteen-year plan, it is an opportune time for the University to take stock and conduct a mid-course review, in light of internal and external developments, including the 3-3-4 Education Reform, the appointment of a new University leadership team, and recent local, regional and global developments in the higher education sector and beyond. Building upon our fifteen-year strategic vision, we have developed an updated Five-Year Strategic Plan for 2011 to 2016 that reaffirms our vision – to be a leading university with significant international impact and strong local commitment; and mission – to advance learning and knowledge through teaching and research, particularly in its targeted fields of pursuit and at the postgraduate level, as well as to assist in the economic and social development of Hong Kong. The Five-Year Plan sets out strategies and objectives in six key developmental areas, serving as a forward-looking, action-oriented “work plan” for the University. In developing the Plan, extensive consultations were carried out with various key stakeholders, with active participation and guidance from the Council and Court. It is our collective aim that the successful implementation of the Five-Year Plan will bring us “towards our next miracle”. Prof Tony F Chan President Dr Marvin Cheung Chairman, University Council 20 Years of advancement HKUST celebrates her 20th anniversary in 2011! In a short two decades, we have advanced into a leading international university with outstanding world-class faculty, developed globally recognized strengths in each of our four Schools (Science, Engineering, Business and Management, and Humanities and Social Science), educated cohorts of entrepreneurial and innovative graduates, and produced research contributions with significant societal impact in many areas. We are consistently ranked amongst the top institutions worldwide, and our “miracle” of achieving such impact and international standing in a short period of time has been widely acknowledged in Asia and globally. Vice-President for Research and Graduates Studies Prof Joseph Hun-wei Lee President Prof Tony F Chan, Provost Prof Wei Shyy Vice-President for Administration and Business Prof Yuk-shan Wong and Vice-President for Institutional Advancement Dr Eden Y Woon The HKUST Brand HKUST has developed her distinction as: A focused elite research university with a global reputation of excelling in science, technology and business, complemented by humanities and social science; An international university with strong ties to global thought leaders, whilst having wide-ranging connections with Mainland China; A university that promotes interdisciplinary studies, dedicated to educating well-rounded students to acquire a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking – the necessary foundation and skills for the changing world; A university with an Institute for Advanced Study which aims to become a global premier knowledge hub, center of research breakthroughs, and incubator of top scientific leaders; A university with a spectacular physical setting, providing an environment conducive to the pursuit of intellectual and academic excellence. (from left): Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Joseph Hun-wei Lee, President Prof Tony F Chan, Provost Prof Wei Shyy, Vice-President for Administration and Business Prof Yuk-shan Wong and Vice-President for Institutional Advancement Dr Eden Y Woon 1-HKUST To fully realize our vision and collective excellence, the entire HKUST family including the Council and Court, students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters will work together as an integrated and holistic team. As a focused and relatively compact university, we have a flatter organizational structure, more transparent decision-making, effective communication, and simpler coordination of resources, which enable us to act collaboratively as one entity to make greater impact than each part can make on its own. We have coined the “1-HKUST” theme to succinctly encapsulate these rubrics, and to provide a framework for our collective aspirations, synergistic strengths and collaborative orientation. i. Education - Build a crossover model that magnifies the strengths of individual Schools and disciplines to prepare our students for the rapidly changing world. ii. Research - Further strengthen cross-disciplinary integration with teaching, and use our collective strengths to solve important societal problems. iii. Community Engagement - Mobilize our body of staff and students for outreach to various external stakeholders, and for knowledge transfer to industry and society. iv. Organization & Resources - Strengthen our collaborative structures and culture for enhanced efficiency and effectiveness.

Education Development Research Development Faculty Development Community Engagement International & Mainland Strategy Organization & Resources Providing a high quality education experience is HKUST’s most important mission. In building up towards the four-year undergraduate educational program, we will enhance both in-class and out-of-class learning. We will further emphasize the holistic development of both our undergraduate and postgraduate students. Initiatives: Promote a scholar-teacher culture, placing emphasis on both teaching and research excellence for our faculty by strengthening recognition and reward mechanisms and development programs. Plan and successfully implement the transition to the four-year undergraduate academic programs, including school-based admission and flexible degree programs; a broad-based University Common Core; signature courses; capstone experiences for all four-year undergraduates; and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Strengthen HKUST’s emphasis on interdisciplinary and international perspectives, including flexible degree programs, international academic exchanges; internship opportunities and a co-op (extended internships) pilot. Engender holistic development of our students by strengthening efforts in community service, personal development, residential experience; and relevant transferrable skills. Strengthen student recruitment, support and service efforts. Dean of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School Prof Lionel Ni (from left): Director of Interdisciplinary Program Office Prof Chi-ming Chan, Dean of Science Prof Nancy Ip, Dean of Business and Management Prof Leonard Cheng, Dean of Humanities and Social Science Prof James Lee, Provost Prof Wei Shyy, Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief, Associate Provost and Dean of Students Prof Kar-yan Tam Education Development Research Development Faculty Development Community Engagement International & Mainland Strategy Organization & Resources HKUST has established a solid international reputation for high quality academic research. We are consistently ranked globally amongst the top institutions in our disciplines, and have made notable academic and societal contributions in many areas. Building upon our demonstrated strengths in the five high impact areas previously identified in the fifteen-year strategic vision, we will continue to maintain our research vitality through proactive faculty recruitment, central equipment and research funding support, and strengthening support for focused strategic research themes. Initiatives: Establish a multi-prong approach to foster research excellence within and across disciplines, supporting individual curiosity-driven basic and applied research, and investing in a number of selective flagships projects in-line with our research focus areas and strategic developments. Undertake a multi-year research equipment renewal and upgrade plan, to ensure that our research environment continues to be attractive to new and existing faculty, and to be effective at supporting world-class research. Leverage on our Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) to advance our research agenda, integrating IAS activities into undergraduate and postgraduate education, and bringing together international experts of different disciplines for innovative thinking on globally important issues. Extend our intellectual strengths to government, industry and society, and strengthen our knowledge transfer efforts, in particular in the six new industries identified by the government, to further our impact regionally and globally. Extend our research base beyond Hong Kong through formation of international and regional partnerships and alliances, and capitalize on our presence and activities in the Mainland. Broaden the research components in our undergraduate education; in particular, develop the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program into a flagship program with increased student participation rate.

Education Development Research Development Faculty Development Community Engagement International & Mainland Strategy Organization & Resources Our faculty is the key driving force behind our teaching and research mission; the ability to recruit and retain top quality faculty in our targeted disciplines is critical to our success. We will draw up a proactive faculty recruitment and renewal plan in line with our desired faculty composition and discipline concentration, in view of the unique opportunity offered by the expansion of faculty size due to the 3-3-4 transition and the significant number of anticipated faculty retirements within the next decade. Initiatives: Recruit over 100 new and replacement faculty members over the next 5 years, with a balance of seniority mix. We will target to have a sufficiently diverse international mix of faculty, to continue to ensure HKUST’s positioning as a global university. Develop a flexible and internationally-competitive faculty compensation system, including the adequate provision of endowed/term professorships and start-up funds. Education Development Research Development Faculty Development Community Engagement International & Mainland Strategy Organization & Resources As an integral part of the University’s mission is to assist in the economic and social development of Hong Kong, we will continue our knowledge transfer efforts and our outreach to the community. We will continue to encourage student and faculty participation in community service programs, and build stronger ties with alumni. Initiatives: Develop a Communications Strategy to promote the HKUST Brand through various platforms and media channels. Actively encourage outreach by our faculty members and students to contribute to the societies of Hong Kong and Mainland. Develop a comprehensive plan to engage and support our alumni base, to strengthen alumni connection with the University and build stronger ties between alumni and current students to allow for experience sharing and guidance. Enhance our reputation and boost our international standing through a global marketing campaign, and develop a systematic approach to fundraising to support our planned initiatives. Education Development Research Development Faculty Development Community Engagement International & Mainland Strategy Organization & Resources Hong Kong stands in the unique position of a truly international city with strong East-West elements, and a strategic gateway to Mainland China. Similarly, HKUST has established global distinction as a university of science and technology with a highly international orientation in focus, reach and impact. We intend to fully leverage on China’s ambitious plans and investment in education, in particular in science and technology, while at the same time retaining HKUST’s international outlook. Initiatives: Foster a number of targeted partnerships and collaboration initiatives in each major geographical location, with differentiated partnership purposes and strategies to increase our research and academic capacity, and to enhance our international prestige and reputation; implement programs to aggressively and proactively recruit the best international students and faculty. Enhance HKUST’s branding profile by planning and executing a number of global initiatives of strategic importance, including promoting of faculty achievements and insights to overseas businesses and venture capitalists, organizing entrepreneur-showcases, and developing value adding event-led promotional activities. Extend our presence and impact in the Mainland, through developing partnerships with selected universities and cities, particularly in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta region, promoting our brand with the government, public and media, developing relationships with enterprises and entrepreneurs in China and enhancing student recruitment efforts. Education Development Research Development Faculty Development Community Engagement International & Mainland Strategy Organization & Resources In support of 1-HKUST, we will align our administrative and support services with the core objectives identified in the Strategic Plan, improve the use of our resources, and enhance operational effectiveness. The University will enhance its effectiveness and efficiency in human resources management, campus development, financial and resource management, and organization and structure development. Initiatives: Ensure that we are able to continue to attract and retain top talents, by reviewing our compensation and benefits system for academic and non-academic staff, reviewing and evolving our appraisal system to further strengthen our performance-based culture, and enhancing our staff training and development practices. Follow-through on the construction and consequential works for the 3-3-4 expansion; review and update our campus development plans, and put in place a sustainable funding model for new construction and the ongoing renewal of facilities; establish a set of environmental/sustainability policies and goals towards “A Greener UST”. Explore and establish new sources of sustained income through our activities across the University; devise a long term “steady-state” budget model, enabled by a refined planning and budgeting process. Strengthen communication and engagement with all staff; review organizational structures and remove impediments to smooth workflow and cross-departmental communications and collaborations. As an international, knowledge-based society, Hong Kong’s success lies in the quality of its people and their ability to adapt to the environment and seize new opportunities. As a higher education institution in Hong Kong, we must continually embrace a highly international perspective and culture, factors that make Hong Kong a (from left) Second President Prof Paul Chu President Prof Tony F Chan Founding President Prof Chia-Wei Woo thriving global city. We must keep our sights affixed on our unique and vital role as a science and technology university in the Pearl River Delta, and leverage on China’s ambitious plans and investment in education, research and economic development. In this regard, we are committed to continue striving for excellence in science, technology, business, and humanities and social science studies; train future innovators and entrepreneurs who are not only brilliant academics but also ethically responsible leaders; and to forge new frontiers and contribute to the betterment of the society. Going forward in the next decade, we aspire to bring our achievements to the next level, working as an entire community “Towards Our Next Miracle”.