President e-letter, 4 July 2011

Abstract

The Hong Kong University lf Science and Technology Office of the President e-letter Dear colleagues, students and alumni, In this edition of my e-letter, as well as bringing you the usual news reports, I will set out a few thoughts and views about community! I hope that you will find these stimulating and I look forward to hearing from you as I get around the campus. These last couple of months I have been reflecting on our University community and what makes it special. I concluded that it has something to do with the combined interaction of the people with the environment. Those on our campus – faculty, staff, scholars, students – have a common set of values and love of learning and knowledge. But they also bring a diverse set of cultural values and backgrounds as well as language and ethnicity. When you place all of that in our beautiful, single site campus, you get our HKUST community. The idea of a single fully engaged University community is very appealing. I am thinking here of students, faculty, staff and their families. But how do we achieve it? We organize many events, which I believe should have wide appeal but sometimes they seem to engage one or two groups more than the others. Some get involved less than others and I wonder why that is? More importantly I would like to hear suggestions from anyone about how we might bring that about. What types of events appeal to all? All that said, I will talk about two very successful events next. Students and the Community Pretty much since I arrived I have held regular informal tea-gatherings with groups of students. It was during these discussions that the students brought up the need for us to try harder to bring together the different groups of students living on campus. As they noted, we always tend to retreat into our own comfort zones whether it be language, culture, geography, disciplines…whatever. So, after hearing this several times I set up the President 1-HKUST Student Life Award. During the past few months, projects funded by this Award (March in March, UST Great Minds, HKUST Talent Quest and Organic Fun Day@HKUST) have taken place. These were intended to enhance our campus community engagement. The success of the projects has proven that the Award provided a good opportunity for students to enrich their experience and give additional meaning to campus life. It was also a great avenue to allow students discover their talents and organization skills. The Talent Quest held on 28 April 2011 was very well received by a packed audience who warmly appreciated students’ talent in various performing arts. The Talent Quest has given new meaning to the acronym 'HKUST', which can be viewed as 'Hong Kong University of Student Talents'! It also contained a major charitable element to carry out fund raising for the disaster victims in Japan. This event, as well as bringing diverse student groups together, also engaged faculty and staff both as participants and in the audience. The second round of the President 1-HKUST Student Life Award is now open for application and the selection process will take place in the Fall Semester. I encourage students’ participations again to submit your many creative thoughts. Incidentally the UST Great Minds event that I spoke about in the last newsletter attracted a massive audience. As well as a packed house in the lecture theatre (300+) there were some 700 whom we couldn’t fit in! Apologies to them but what a great success that event was too! Sustainability – Talking about students’ activities, a joint student group, in collaboration with colleagues from Health, Safety and Environment Office (HSEP), Facilities Management Office (FMO) and Student Affairs Office (SAO), has launched a meaningful recycling activity during the mass check-out period of student halls to promote our environmental awareness. It was a large scale exercise to recycle all kinds of items from the student dormitories. They set up collection zones and liaised with a number of local charitable organizations to dispatch the collected items to the needy people in Hong Kong. I am so pleased to see our students so enthusiastic about sustaining our environment. The University has a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and has been implementing a set of sustainability and environmental principles extensively. To build an even greener UST, we are going to further enhance our sustainability framework and more will be announced later. For the time being, browse the HKUST Sustainability portal and you will discover many interesting green initiatives. I was also very pleased to note a partnership with staff and faculty too. We need more of these types of projects on our campus! New UGC Policies and Schemes UGC has embarked on a number of new funding initiatives as a follow up of the Higher Education Review launched in 2010. Research Portion of the Block Grant – University Grants Committee (UGC) is determined to press ahead with the proposal to allocate 50% of the research portion of the block grant (“R portion”) to the Research Grant Council (RGC) for competitive distribution among institutions. Whilst generally welcoming a more competitive approach, the University made some comments about the details of this proposal. The main thrust of the proposal is to allocate progressively, over a period of nine years, 50% of the R portion (equivalent to 12.5% of the block grant) on a more competitive basis. This will be done by reference to the success of individual institutions in peer reviewed RGC Earmarked Research Grants together with a new Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) exercise likely to take place in 2013 or 2014. Some protection will be given to projects in HSS areas as well as for early career researchers. Research Postgraduate Places – The allocation of research postgraduate places to institutions will be transformed from an historical basis to a competitive basis as well. Within 5 years from 2012/13, 50% of all research postgraduate places will be allocated either through direct competition or by reference to other competitive schemes. It is clear from the above that greater competition for research funding is inevitable. These new policies may have a potentially drastic effect on the block grant if our research success becomes less competitive. In the new funding system the success of individual research project proposals will have a direct effect on the University’s share of the institutional block grant allocation. Success for the individual or research team will lead to increased income to the University centrally and thus to the School and the Department or Center. In the new environment the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts. However, I want to encourage colleagues to take a proactive approach and continue to strive for research excellence. These new research funding policies are challenges ahead and yet can be opportunities for the University to compete for more research funding if we continue to strengthen our research capability and deliver quality research proposals. The Administration has started planning to adapt to the new policy. This may include assistance, encouragement and incentives for submitting more and better RGC proposals, as well as a different internal allocation model for the new R portion. Both the Provost and the VP-RG offices will take active roles in the development of an operation procedure in regard to this new policy. Matching Grant Scheme for Internationalization – UGC has extended the Matching Grant Scheme for Internationalization with one-off funding of $50M for institutions on a matching basis to provide more exchange opportunities for the local students. The University has submitted proposal for use of the funds which we understand have now been approved at over HK$5.5 m for UST. Our successful bid includes proposals to Increase the number exchange opportunities to 50% of our undergraduates; Increase the number of non-local students to 20%; Increase enrollment of international students in summer programs; and Explore further collaboration opportunities with overseas universities. In our Strategic Plan we have welcomed this initiative and assigned appropriate matching funds. Progress on a number of items of University Business Academic Development Proposal (ADP) 2012-2015 – UGC has recently announced that because of the ‘comparatively meritorious performance’ of HKUST, we have been awarded an increase of fully funded FYFD (First Year First Degree) undergraduate places in each year of the coming triennium from the overall fixed pool. This increase of 1.4% is good news for the University and attests to the continued progress the University is making as a leader in the teaching and learning dimension of our work. At the same time, our request for an additional 43 senior year places was also accepted. UGC has indicated that the allocation of research postgraduate (RPg) places will be made in September based partly on the new competitive success methodology. The commensurate block grant funds estimates for the triennium should be announced in September also. These are subject to Government approval. The production and success of our ADP is due to a concerted university wide effort (which included of course my own close involvement) – led by the Provost’s Office and involving VP-RG and the School Deans. Council members’ invaluable inputs to the ADP have also contributed to the success as well. The University owes them a debt of gratitude for the hard work and dedication. 5-year Strategic Plan 2011-2016 – A public version of the Plan has been posted to the University website. It is available online at http://strategicplan.ust.hk/. I am sure the community will value this collaborative effort and work hand-in-hand to develop the University according to the agreed proposals set out in the Plan. Senior Leadership Appointments – Professor Mitchell M Tseng has been appointed as Associate Vice-President for Research and Innovation effect from 1 March 2011 and Professor Mordecai J Golin as Associate Vice-President for Postgraduate Studies with effect from 1 April 2011. The two AVPs will assist in developing inter-institutional collaborations and funding opportunities; knowledge transfer and innovation initiatives; and the development of a more comprehensive postgraduate education for the University. I welcome both to their new positions. Report on Initiatives/Award Launched HKUST Special Research Fund Initiative – The Special Research Fund Initiative (SRFI) was launched in late 2010 to provide one-time seed funding for developing strategic team-based research requiring multiple strengths from within the University. This is an excellent goal in itself but with greater competition in allocation of the R portion it should strengthen our position even more. The faculty response to the Initiative was encouraging with 40 proposals received. Independent reviewers of the proposals included eminent scholars, Nobel Laureates and IAS visiting members. The Selection Committee finally allocated funds to four clusters of research projects; giving due considerations to the overall academic excellence of the proposal, strategic importance, long term development and sustainability in their evaluations. The four clusters of research projects are in the areas of Energy, Life Science & Health Related, Sustainable Development for Hong Kong and Frontier Research (comprising 31 projects). A total of $36.34M will be allocated. These areas will allow us to build on existing strengths and further deliver ever more competitive projects for external funding. The SRFI awardees will make a presentation of their SRFI projects at a Research Workshop to be held in Fall 2011. Please watch out for the announcement and participate to understand more of the funded collaborative research work as well as exchange ideas for further synergies and development. President Outstanding Service Award – There are many opportunities for the achievements of faculty and students to be recognized by our community but for the non teaching staff this is less so. Without their hard work and dedication the University could not function. They are the unsung heroes of our community. So, in order to give recognition to non-teaching staff members who have demonstrated outstanding service that contributes to the betterment of their work units, the University launched this year the 2nd Outstanding Service Award. The Award Committee is reviewing nominations. I am looking forward to conferring the Award at the Congregation of 2011. Internationalization and Institutional Advancement Efforts Collaborations – To enhance our internationalization efforts, the University has been actively engaging with collaborative projects with quality partners/institutions in order to provide students with international research experiences, global outlook, and an all-round education. Recently, we established the Joint Undergraduate Research Exchange Program for Engineering Students between HKUST and Princeton University and Joint Degree PhD Program in Engineering for HKUST and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). The Vice-President for Institutional Advancement Office is overseeing the formulization and operation of international collaborative agreements. Offices can contact them to discuss the necessary approval procedures and criteria for making academic agreements with outside organizations. Outreach Trip to East Coast of the US– Dr Eden Woon, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement (VP-IA) and I made our trip to East Coast in May. The purposes of the trip included official visits to universities to promote HKUST and discuss cooperation; recruitment of postgraduate students and new faculty members; get-togethers with HKUST alumni and making preliminary meetings with public policy/public administration institutes. That was a very packed trip in which we visited 3 cities and 10 universities within a week. (Boston: MIT; Harvard; JFK School of Government, Harvard University; Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; Washington, DC: George Washington U, Catholic U of America, U of Maryland, Brookings Institute, Johns Hopkins; NY: New York U, Columbia U). Hong Kong punches way above its weight in terms of university rankings. But we still have some challenges. During my visit to MIT I found myself standing at a street corner where I could see four major privately funded research institutes namely the Whitehead and the Broad Institutes; the Koch Building and the Parsons Laboratory. Each of these received private funding of hundreds of millions of US dollars. Hong Kong doesn’t have anything equivalent funded by private means – yet! In similar vein, during an earlier trip to the West Coast, I visited Stanford where I learned about the new privately donated Knight Management Center, a campus in its own right, comprising many individual buildings. (Phil Knight of Nike is a Stanford Alum.) This is the new home of the Stanford Business School. In one of those buildings I came across the Hong Kong Alumni Conference Room! (By the way, you guys should remember the home team as well!) While I am reflecting on my visits to the US, I should also congratulate our Business School, not just for the continued success of being the No. 1 EMBA in the world (with the Kellogg School) but also being ranked No. 6 in the world as a School overall. As I mentioned, earlier this year I visited Stanford and in the recent trip I visited Columbia – both wonderful schools. I am proud that our Business School (at No. 6) sits between them in the world rankings – not bad when you think of their history compared to our 20 years! So, HKUST succeeds very well in spite of not having the luxury of such huge private funding. Organization of Overseas Alumni Gatherings – An active and broad alumni base, both local and overseas, is very important to enhance the reputation and development of the University. While the local alumni network has been well taken care of, more efforts are planned to strengthen the alumni networks overseas. To this end, VP-IA and I took every opportunity during our business trips to host reunion gatherings to meet our overseas alumni to update them on the latest development of the University. Seven overseas alumni gatherings have been held in the first part of the year in Shanghai, Singapore, Switzerland, Boston, New York, Shenzhen and London. The responses were enthusiastic with over 300 alumni joining at the gatherings. More overseas alumni gatherings and connection activities will be planned in the coming months and we hope to see you there at the gatherings. Encouraging Achievement at the QS Asian Ranking HKUST Ranks No. 1 in Asia – The newly released Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings has rated HKUST the top university in Asia. Of course, our goal is to achieve high quality outcomes in teaching, research and our other endeavors, rather than ranking success, nonetheless this is pleasing accomplishment for the University in view of our short 20 years history. The University’s rapid rise on the higher education scene can be attributed to our positioning as a focused elite research university; our emphasis on excellence in both faculty and students as well as in scholarship; and our international outlook while still remaining a university in China. The Administration, as ever, values the contribution of the principal stakeholders especially faculty, staff and students. Hong Kong as a whole is a big winner in the rankings. Many of our sister universities also do very well. Altogether we achieved three schools in the top five and four in the top 15. Lo Bo Wing With many of us still expressing the care and good wishes for our student, classmate and friend, Lo Bo Wing described in my last e-letter, it was with great sadness that we learned of her passing on 25 June in the University Hospital at the University of Minnesota. Bo Wing was admitted to our Mechanical Engineering undergraduate program in Fall of 2009. As well as her exceptionally outstanding academic achievement, Bo Wing was a charming, good natured and devoted Christian. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with acute Leukemia early this year while she was on exchange to the University of Minnesota. Please join me to remember her fondly and to reach out to her family in their time of grieving. A cross departmental team is in touch with Bo Wing's family to offer every assistance with arrangements. Further details will be announced by the University later. As a community we can remember one of our own fondly, but also reach out to support Mr and Mrs Lo as well as each other at this sad time. She will be sorely missed. To conclude… The University community has achieved so much during the year and individuals have grown and learnt a great deal from our experiences along the way. The beautiful campus is now quieter (albeit briefly) with the departure of students for summer vacation. Summer semester classes have begun. Remember to stay in touch with the University and keep track with the University business. Council decisions and minutes of meetings of the Senate and the University Administrative Committee can always be found at the staff intranet. In the meantime, have an enjoyable and relaxing Summer break. We look forward to welcoming you back at the Fall Semester! Yours sincerely, Prof Tony F Chan President 4 July 2011 Archive: - Please select - Copyright © 2011 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology