27 November 2007

176th Congregation
University of Hong Kong

Mr. Pro-Chancellor, Mr. Vice Chancellor, honoured guests, graduates, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me begin by congratulating the new graduates of today as you complete their total university education and on the way to face the brave new world of the society and beyond.? In congratulating you, let us not forget the efforts contributed by your families, your teachers and the university in nurturing you, through perseverance and dedication, for which we should be forever grateful.

Allow me also to take this opportunity to thank the Vice Chancellor for the invitation to address the graduates of today.? It is indeed an honour for me to be able to address fresh graduates from the same alma mater though we are some 45 years apart. (I graduated in 1962.)

What should I address you today?? With the hindsight that you and I, are years apart, I thought I would say a few words on the changing role of the universities in a changing society in the last half a century and how we as members of the university should react to face these challenges, be it staff or graduates.? Needles to say, these are my personal views.?

Mr. Pro-Chancellor, many would take a university as just a place of training.? A place for training vocational skills, training graduate employees for industries and acting as training agencies for the economy.? Indeed, many universities may well start off on such a platform.? The precursor of the own alma mater was the “College of Medicine for Chinese” which was founded for the sake of training Chinese to become doctors to practice Western medicine.? The University of Hong Kong is this year celebrating its 120th year of medical education, its medical school has moved on much more beyond the training of doctors, rather it is actively engaged in medical education, not only for Hong Kong, nor just for Chinese, but for the international communities.? It is also very much involved in scientific research, in collaboration with local tertiary institutes and scientific institutions all over the world.? It takes on the role as part of the community, and grows and matures with the community.

While universities in the past are often epitomized as edifices shrouded in secrecy for the training of chosen elites under the support and auspicious of the government or the state, today, tertiary institutions are institutions without walls, they are parts of the community responding to the needs of the community, and grows with the community, and as the world is getting smaller ? the global community.

The university of today is therefore for whole-person education, to prepare their graduates for capacity to reason, to enable them to analyze and be able to learn, and to prepare them for life. It is also a place for research, research not only on practical areas that society at large requires but innovative researches that might bear fruit, innovative creative researches that could only materialize in an environment of free academic exchange offered only in a university setting.

With such a wide ambit, it would be impossible for any government or the state to shoulder the bill for everything nor should any government or state do!? In short to use the words of Professor Duncan Rice, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, “The universities must be prepared to look after themselves”.? Put it in practical terms “any university must look into the community to seek the total community’s support”.

Controversies of course are expected.? How far should universities move onto fundraising?? How much time should senior academicians spend identifying potential donors from the community and cultivate relationship with them?? Yet whether you approval of this culture or otherwise, it has comes and will stay.? Take the example of our alma mater.? Today the funding from the Government through the University Grants Committee (UGC) accounts only for 40% of the university’s total expenditure.? In the arena of research, the situation is even more pitiful.? UGC’s funding for research merely accounts for 25% of the total amount the University needs.? The community’s support is therefore paramount.

Needless to say, the effect of fundraising depends very much on the generosity of the community through the culture of the philanthropists which in this city is no shortage.

To the philanthropists, contributing to the universities in any way is not only an hounourable act but an investment into people through education, educating young people, people who will one day be the pillars of the society.? Philanthropy does not confine only in financial support, nor is this the only way that our society is helping our future pillars of Hong Kong.? Examples abound where our students, our graduates are obtaining a lot of support through ? mentors & mentorship programmes, through providing internship & exchange for students to widen their horizon, just to mention a few.

What about our graduates?? 45 years ago when I graduated, the aim of most is to acquire a good education from where you will get a good job and a decent living to raise a family as a law abiding citizen.? Today this is not enough.?

As a start, the world is getting smaller, whether it be economics upheaval or public health catastrophy in any part of the world, Hong Kong will be affected in real time.? We must therefore equip ourselves with global and wide vision.

Secondly, we in Hong Kong are no more living “in a borrow place and on borrow time”.? Some 10 year ago, we have returned to the Motherland.? Hong Kong is now our home.? We have move from a colonial setting to be masters of our own house.? It is your responsibility therefore as future pillars of Hong Kong to make this place a better place to live in for yourself and your families.? You should participate therefore more in, not only your chosen profession, but also the society.? Ample opportunities are at your doorsteps.? There are open elections to the Legislative Council and the District Councils to get yourself to involve in Hong Kong’s local administrative affairs.? The SAR Government is introducing and recruiting Deputy Directors of Bureaux and Political Assistant to Directors of Bureaux? to be directly engaged in the running of the government and to provide political training grounds.? You should utilize your university education to the full to help the society at large and in so doing glorify your alma mater.

Mr. Pro-Chancellor, I would not have done my duty as an alumnus if I do not take this opportunity to congratulate the University under your leadership and that of the Vice-Chancellor.? The University of Hong Kong now occupies No. 18 in the world university league table.? All these are no doubt the combine effort of the senior management, the dedicated staff and the alumni.? But this must be only the beginning.? I appeal therefore to our new graduates that while you are enjoying the fruits of your success and as you take up responsibilities in the society, do keep up with this impetus and raise your alma mater to even newer heights.

You might ask “how can we as new graduates as novices to the society be held accountable for the success of the University?? Is it fair to demand us to be comparable to the many elite alumni who have become societal leaders of all walks of life?

Let me end therefore by quoting from老子 “合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。”

In short, “the journey of a thousand leagues began with the first step”.

Mr. Pro-Chancellor, I thank you for your attention.