University of Hong Kong: Difference between revisions
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==Criticisms== |
==Criticisms== |
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===Declining English standards=== |
===Declining English standards=== |
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The university is officially an English-medium-of-instruction university, but some classes are unofficially taught in [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]], the local Chinese dialect in Hong Kong. Interviews for admission to the LKS Faculty of Medicine |
The university is officially an English-medium-of-instruction university, but some classes are unofficially taught in [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]], the local Chinese dialect in Hong Kong. Interviews for admission in September 2006 (especially to the LKS Faculty of Medicine) were conducted in Cantonese if the applicant was able to speak it. |
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The government's Higher Education Resources Organizer as well as academics, parents, and local Hong Kong businesspeople have argued that HKU (and even more so, other universities in Hong Kong) suffer from a serious decline in English standards following the [[handover]] in [[1997]]. Evidence of this problem (in regard to intake standards) is hidden behind the university's claim to that its students obtain the highest average score on the Hong Kong Advanced Level ''Use of English'' exam. While it is true that HKU students have the highest average score out of the eight Hong Kong universities, that score is still only 2.79. On the graded scale of A (5 points) to F (0 points), 2.79 falls somewhere between a C and a D. |
The government's Higher Education Resources Organizer as well as academics, parents, and local Hong Kong businesspeople have argued that HKU (and even more so, other universities in Hong Kong) suffer from a serious decline in English standards following the [[handover]] in [[1997]]. Evidence of this problem (in regard to intake standards) is hidden behind the university's claim to that its students obtain the highest average score on the Hong Kong Advanced Level ''Use of English'' exam. While it is true that HKU students have the highest average score out of the eight Hong Kong universities, that score is still only 2.79. On the graded scale of A (5 points) to F (0 points), 2.79 falls somewhere between a C and a D. |
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The government recognises the need to introduce higher standards for English proficiency regarding entry to universities, as well as the possibility of |
The government recognises the need to introduce higher standards for English proficiency regarding entry to universities, as well as the possibility of |
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The Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme (CEPAS) was introduced by the [[University Grants Committee]] (UGC) in the 2002-03 academic year to provide an internationally-recognised assessment of students' proficiency in English. Under this scheme, final-year students attending undergraduate degree programmes at UGC-funded institutions (that is, the eight universities) are encouraged to take the academic module of the [[International English Language Testing System|IELTS]] exam. Eligible candidates may have their first attempt's test fee reimbursed. |
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The UGC-announced [[IELTS]] results for the 2004-2005 academic year indicate that the 8,700 participants of CEPAS obtained an average of 6.64 points out of a maximum of 9.0 points. Test-takers from the University of Hong Kong obtained an average of 6.98 points, the best among the eight universities; additionally, 3 students obtained the maximum score. |
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===Hall system=== |
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The Hall system has created controversy as some students have complained of being subject to [[hazing]], however these incidents would be considered quite tame by the standards of most Western countries. |
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Many students also argue that the current Hall administration and admission system is unfair: each Hall is dominated by a small elected committee of students who have significant control over who is accepted to the Hall (there is an objective point system for admission, but subjective interviews also play a role in giving committee members control over acceptance). It is alleged by many former students that they lied about high-school extra-curricular activities to be accepted, and upon joining the Halls must participate regularly in activities or else run the risk of being forced out of the Hall. Furthermore, newer halls such as Starr Hall, adopt (to a lesser extent) the traditional Hall customs rather than developing their own culture, such that only a narrow range of hall cultures is available for prospective students to choose from. |
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A committee was set up in 2002 to examine the development of the Hall system, but it has been criticised by many students and academics as being non-transparent, and dominated by a select few students who are pro-tradition. |
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===Bias toward business, medical and legal disciplines=== |
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Humanities and social science disciplines have long suffered from chronic underfunding. University spending has long focused on the business, medical and legal subjects. At the same time, enrolment in humanities and social science faculties continues to increase. For example, in the year 2004-05, the History Department only had five teaching staff. |
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===Academic freedom=== |
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The University faced one of its biggest crises in [[2000]] when Dr. [[Robert Chung Ting-yiu]], director of the Public Opinion Programme at HKU, alleged that he had received political pressure from [[Chief Executive of Hong Kong]] [[Tung Chee-hwa]] through [[Vice-Chancellor]] Prof [[Cheng Yiu-chung]] and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof [[Wong Siu-lun]] to discontinue his public opinion polls on Tung and his government. |
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Although the allegations were denied by Tung and HKU, a controversy erupted over the question of political interference in [[academic freedom]]. HKU set up a three-member panel led by [[Justice Noel Power]] to investigate Chung's claims. After 11 days of open hearings in August, the panel concluded that there were what it called "covert attempts" to pressure Chung into discontinuing his polls. The panel concluded that Dr. Chung is "an honest witness who was telling the truth in relation to the matters he is complaining about", but "neither Lo [The Chief Executive's Senior Special Assistant] nor the vice chancellor disclosed the full and truthful extent of what was said in [the] meetings". Two professors resigned just before the University Council met on September 9 to vote on whether or not to accept the panel's report. |
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==Future development== |
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In 2003, the HKU management panel put forth a strategic development plan with the goal of placing HKU even higher among the world's best universities in the next decade or so. |
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The University will build a new campus, the Centennial Campus, west of the Main Campus. The construction of the Centennial Campus will begin in 2008, and will be completed by 2011. |
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In addition to increased academic research and development, HKU also aims to promote continuing education to the public, through improved links between the University and the [[School of Professional and Continuing Education]] (SPACE). |
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HKU is also trying to better its alumni and external network for financially sustainable development [http://www.hku.hk/strategic-booklet/text/chi-html.htm] |
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==See also== |
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* [[The Hong Kong University Students' Union]] |
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* [[Education in Hong Kong]] |
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* [[List of universities in Hong Kong]] |
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* [[List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong]] |
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* [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation]] |
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* History of the University of Hong Kong (1911-1945), Hong Kong University Press. |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.hku.hk The University of Hong Kong Homepage] |
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*[http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=22.284083,114.137789&spn=0.004744,0.007237&t=k&hl=en Satellite view of the site] |
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*[http://hkuglossary.blogspot.com/ HKU Glossary] |
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{{Universitas 21}} |
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[[Category:Declared monuments of Hong Kong]] |
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[[Category:Law schools in Hong Kong]] |
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[[Category:Nursing schools in Hong Kong]] |
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[[Category:Universities in Hong Kong|H]] |
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[[Category:University of Hong Kong|University of Hong Kong]] |
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[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1910|Hong Kong, University of]] |
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[[fr:Université de Hong Kong]] |
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[[ja:香港大学]] |
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[[zh:香港大學]] |
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[[zh-yue:香港大學]] |
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Revision as of 15:37, 18 June 2006
香港大學 | |
| Shield of University of Hong Kong | |
| Motto | Sapientia Et Virtus 明徳格物 Wisdom and virtue |
|---|---|
| Established | 1910 |
| Chancellor | Donald Tsang |
| Vice-Chancellor | Lap-Chee Tsui |
| Students | 14,400 (total) |
| Postgraduates | 5,300 |
| Location | , |
| Colours | Green |
| Affiliations | Universitas 21 |
| Website | www.hku.hk |
The University of Hong Kong (zh-hk: 香港大學, zh-cn: 香港大学, Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 daai6 hok6; pinyin: Xiānggǎng Dàxué; abbreviated as HKU and 港大, sometimes called "Hong Kong U") is an English-speaking, and the oldest, tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Its motto in Latin is Sapientia et Virtus (明徳格物), meaning wisdom and virtue, and sometimes cited as Foresight and Social Conscience.
Academically, the university has traditionally been ranked as the top university in Hong Kong and one of the most prestigious universities in Asia. In 2005, the Times Higher Education Supplement ranked it 41st in the world and has placed many of its programs within the world's top 50, including those from the arts and humanities, social sciences, and biomedicine departments.[1]
History
The University of Hong Kong traces its origin to the former Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, founded by the London Missionary Society in 1887. The University itself was founded when Sir Frederick Lugard, Governor of Hong Kong, felt an urgent need to establish a university in or near to China to compete with other Western powers (notably, Prussia, which had just opened Tongji University in Shanghai). Lugard laid the foundation stone of the Main Building on March 16, 1910, claiming to "establish (a university) for China" and hoping that the university would educate more Chinese people in British "imperial values", as opposed to those of other Western powers. The founding of the university was possible because of funding and support from the government and the business sector in southern China, which were both equally eager to learn "secrets of the West's success", referring to technological advances made since the Industrial Revolution. The project was also embraced by some local Chinese and British enterprises, especially the British-funded Swire Group, in the hope of boosting its company image after a tragic shipping incident in the nearby Guangzhou. On the other hand, the then-British government (especially the Colonial Office) and many local British companies such as HSBC did not share the governor's vision, because they were afraid that educated Chinese might destroy their monopolies in the territory.
Two years later, the University launched its Faculty of Medicine. The Faculties of Engineering and Arts were established within a year of the official opening.
On December 1916, the University held its first congregation, with just 23 graduates. Ten years after the founding of HKU, it became coeducational in 1920. The Queen Mary Hospital opened in 1937 and has served as a teaching hospital for HKU students since then.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the university had four Faculties - Arts, Engineering, Medicine and Science. During World War II it was temporarily closed.
HKU has nurtured the largest number of postgraduate students in the territory, who make up approximately 10% of the total student population. All ten faculties and departments provide teaching and supervision for research (MPhil and PhD) students with administration undertaken by the Graduate School.
The year 2001 marked the 90th Anniversary of HKU. Growing with Hong Kong: HKU and its Graduates - The First 90 Years was published by the University Press in 2002 as an impact study on HKU's graduates in different fields of Hong Kong.
In January 2006, despite protest from some students and various alumni, the Faculty of Medicine was renamed to the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine "as a recognition of the generosity" of Mr. Li Ka Shing and his Foundation, who pledged HK$1 billion in support of the University "general development as well as research and academic activities in medicine".
Present
The University of Hong Kong has been rated as the top university in Hong Kong and one of the most prestigious universities in Asia. According to the Times Higher Education Supplement [2] in 2005, HKU was 2nd among top universities in China and placed 41st in the world.
The University of Hong Kong is a founding member of Universitas 21, an international consortium of research-led universities.
Campus and history
The university's main campus covers 160,000 square metres of land on Bonham Road and Pok Fu Lam Road in the Mid-levels of Hong Kong Island. HKU buildings are some of the few remaining examples of British Colonial architecture in Hong Kong.
The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine is situated 4.5 km southwest of the main campus, in the Southern District near Sandy Bay and Pok Fu Lam. The medical campus includes Queen Mary Hospital, the William M.W. Mong Building and research facilities. The Faculty of Dentistry is situated in Sai Ying Pun adjacent to Prince Philip Dental Hospital.
The university also operates the Kadoorie Agricultural Research Center, which occupies 95,000 square metres of land in the New Territories, and the Swire Institute of Marine Science at the southern tip of the d'Aguilar Peninsula on Hong Kong Island.
Main building
The oldest structure in the University of Hong Kong was sponsored by Sir H.N. Mody and designed by Architect Messrs Leigh & Orange. Constructed between 1910 and 1912, it originally comprised two courtyards in the post-renaissance style built with red brick and granite. The main elevation is articulated by four turrets with a central clock tower (a gift from Sir Paul Chater in 1930). Two courtyards were added in the south in 1952 and one floor in the end block in 1958. It was originally used as classrooms and laboratories for the Faculty of Medicine and Engineering and is now the home of various departments within the Faculty of Arts. The central Great Hall is named after Mr. Loke Yew, a benefactor of the University in its early years. It became a declared monument in 1984.
Hung Hing Ying Building
Financed by Sir Paul Chater, Professor G. P. Jordan and others, it was opened in 1919 by the Governor of Hong Kong Sir Reginald Stubbs and housed the student union. After World War II, the building was used temporarily for administrative purposes. The East Wing was added in 1960. The building was converted into the Senior Common Room in 1974. It was named in honour of Mr Hung Hing Ying in 1986 for his family's donations to the university. The building was subsequently used again for administrative purposes, and now houses the Department of Music. This two-storey Edwardian style structure is characterised by a central dome and the use of red brick to emulate the Main Building opposite. The building was declared a monument in 1995.
Tang Chi Ngong Building
The idea to establish a school of Chinese was proposed between the two World Wars. Construction of the premises began in 1929 with a generous donation from Mr Tang Chi-ngong, father of the philanthropist Sir Tang Shiu-kin, after whom the building was named. It was opened by Governor of Hong Kong Sir William Peel in 1931 and since then further donations have been received for the endowment of teaching Chinese language and literature. The building has been used for other purposes since the 1970s but the name remained unchanged. At present, it houses the Centre of Asian Studies. This three-storey flat-roofed structure is surfaced with Shanghai plaster and was declared a monument in 1995.
University Museum and Art Gallery
Main article: University Museum and Art Gallery
The three-storey Fung Ping Shan Museum was originally erected in 1932 as a library for Chinese books. Named after its donor, the building consists of masonry on the ground level surmounted by a two-storey red-brick structure with applied ornamental columns topped by a pediment over its entrance. Since 1962, the Chinese books collection, now known as the Fung Ping Shan Library, was transferred to the University's new Main Library and the whole building was converted into a museum for Chinese art and archaeology. Among its prized collections are ceramics, pottery and bronzes. In 1996, the lowest three floors of the new T. T. Tsui Building were added to the old building to form the University Museum and Art Gallery.
Administration
The University's Chancellor is Dr Donald Tsang, GBM, JP, KBE, and the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The Pro Chancellor is Dr Sir David Kwok-po Li, GBS. The Vice-Chancellor is Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, the Deputy Vice Chancellor is Professor R. Y. C. Wong, and the Pro-Vice-Chancellors are Professor C. F. Lee, Professor J. G. Malpas, Professor J. H. W. Lee and Professor P. K. H. Tam. The academic staff population is over 800.
Professor Ian Davies was the Vice-Chancellor for two years before a worldwide search culminated in the selection of Professor Lap-Chee Tsui as the new head of the University in 2002.
Research and Endowment
HKU benefits from a large operating budget supplied by high levels of government funding compared to many Western countries. Since 1991, the Research Grants Council (RGC) has granted the University of Hong Kong a total of HK$893 million, the highest amount amongst all eight universities in the territory [3]. HKU professors were among the highest paid in the world as well, having salaries equalling or exceeding those of their U.S. counterparts in private universities. However, with the reduction of salaries in recent years, this is no longer the case.
39 academic staff from HKU are ranked among the world's top 1% of scientists by the ISI, by means of the citations recorded on their publications. [4]
Demographics
The student population of the University (including postgraduate students) was around 14,400 in 2001-2002, including over 5,300 postgraduate students.
HKU accepts most of its undergraduate students from Form 7 in local secondary schools through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS). The Early Admission Scheme (EAS) provides places for a small number of Form 6 students with excellent HKCEE (local schools) or GCSE/IB (international schools) results, while other students are admitted through the non-JUPAS system.
Academic units
Main article: Academic Units of the University of Hong Kong
The university comprises of 10 faculties and a number of non-faculty academic units, which provide study programmes and courses for students (source: http://hku.hk):
Faculties
- Faculty of Architecture
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Business and Economics
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Law
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Non-faculty academic units
- APEC Study Centre
- Biomedical Engineering Research Centre
- Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching
- Centre for the Cellular Biology
- Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID) - Collaborated with the Department of Computer Science
- Centre for the Educational Leadership
- Centre of the Endocrinology and Diabetes
- Centre for Materials Science
- Centre of American Studies
- Centre of Asian Studies
- Centre of Buddhist Studies
- Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management
- Centre on Ageing
- CMI Support Centre
- Cognitive Science Centre
- Comparative Education Research Centre
- English Centre
- E-Business Technology Institute (ETI) - In Partnership with IBM
- General Education Unit
- Genome Research Centre
- Geographic/Land Information System Research Centre
- HKU Pasteur Research Centre Ltd
- Hong Kong Centre for Problem-Based Learning
- International Research Centre for Electric Vehicles
- Institute of Human Performance
- Institute of Molecular Biology
- Journalism and Media Studies Centre
- Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre
- Neuroscience Research Centre
- Swire Institute of Marine Science
- The Institute of Cardiovascular Science & Medicine
- Women's Studies Research Centre
The School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE)
SPACE provides different levels of programmes on a wide range of subjects, and runs programmes without subsidy from the government. SPACE has recently evolved into a community college-type institution, somewhat similar to community colleges in the US.
HKUL was established in 1912 and is the oldest academic library in Hong Kong with over 2.3 million holdings. While the total stock in physical volumes has been growing, the electronic collection has also witnessed a rapid expansion. A web-based library catalogue, DRAGON, allows one to search HKUL's books, journals and other resources.
HKUL now comprises the Main Library and six specialist branch libraries, the Dental, Education, Fung Ping Shan (East Asian Language), Yu Chun Keung Medical, Lui Che Woo Law and the Music Library. They are located in buildings around the campus with varying opening hours.
Student services
The university provides other services to meet students' personal needs, including
- Career Education and Placement Centre
- Computer Centre
- Office of Students Affairs
- Personal Development and Counselling Centre
- Sports and Recreation Programmes/Facilities
- University Dental Service
- University Health Service
- University Museum and Art Gallery (formerly Fung Ping Shan Museum)
Student life
Student accommodation and hall education
Main article: Accommodation at the University of Hong Kong "Hall education" is encouraged by HKU, giving students a chance to learn through participating in hall-based activities.
Residential halls
- St. John's College
- Morrison Hall (male undergraduates and mixed postgraduates)
- Ricci Hall (male only)
- Lady Ho Tung Hall (female only)
- University Hall (male only)
- Robert Black College (postgraduates and visitors only)
- Swire Hall (Swire Hall)
- Simon K. Y. Lee Hall
- Lee Hysan Hall
- R. C. Lee Hall
- Wei Lun Hall
- Madam S.H. Ho Residence for Medical Students
- Pokfield Road Residences
- Graduate House (postgraduates only)
- Starr Hall
- Patrick Manson Student Residences
- Lee Shau Kee Hall
- Suen Chi Sun Hall
Non-residential halls
- Hornell Hall (male only)
- Duchess of Kent Hall (female only)
- Lee Chi Hung Hall
(See also: Official Information on HKU's student residences)
Student organisations
There are two officially recognised student bodies, giving opportunities for students to participate in extra-curricular activities.
The Hong Kong University Students' Union (HKUSU) principally serves the undergraduate students. This organisation is renowned amongst student activists, having been the main driving force behind evicting a chancellor in recent years. The Postgraduate Students Association (PGSA) represents the postgraduate students.
People affiliated with HKU
Being the oldest and the only university in Hong Kong for decades, the University of Hong Kong has educated many notable people. One of them was Dr Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China, who was a graduate of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, an institution of which HKU is a successor. Over 40 principal officials, permanent secretaries, and Executive Council/Legislative Council members of the Hong Kong SAR Government are HKU graduates. HKU graduates also form the senior management teams of many large organisations in the private sector, covering mnay business and professional fields.
See also:
- Notable alumni of the University of Hong Kong
- Notable faculty members of the University of Hong Kong
- Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong
Criticisms
Declining English standards
The university is officially an English-medium-of-instruction university, but some classes are unofficially taught in Cantonese, the local Chinese dialect in Hong Kong. Interviews for admission in September 2006 (especially to the LKS Faculty of Medicine) were conducted in Cantonese if the applicant was able to speak it.
The government's Higher Education Resources Organizer as well as academics, parents, and local Hong Kong businesspeople have argued that HKU (and even more so, other universities in Hong Kong) suffer from a serious decline in English standards following the handover in 1997. Evidence of this problem (in regard to intake standards) is hidden behind the university's claim to that its students obtain the highest average score on the Hong Kong Advanced Level Use of English exam. While it is true that HKU students have the highest average score out of the eight Hong Kong universities, that score is still only 2.79. On the graded scale of A (5 points) to F (0 points), 2.79 falls somewhere between a C and a D.
The government recognises the need to introduce higher standards for English proficiency regarding entry to universities, as well as the possibility of