The Chinese University of Hong Kong
香港中文大學 | |
| File:CUHK.svg | |
| Motto | 博文約禮 (Classical Chinese) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | To broaden one's intellectual horizon and keep within the bounds of propriety |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1963 |
| Chancellor | Sir Donald Tsang |
| Vice-Chancellor | Joseph J.Y. Sung |
| Undergraduates | 11,255[1] |
| Postgraduates | 3,060[1] |
| Location | 22°25′11″N 114°12′24.45″E / 22.41972°N 114.2067917°E |
| Campus | Rural, 137.3 hectares (1.373 km2) |
| Colors | Purple and gold |
| Affiliations | ASAIHL, ACU, IAU |
| Website | www.cuhk.edu.hk/ |
| File:Cu-hk-logo.png | |
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 香港中文大學 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 香港中文大学 | ||||||||||
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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a top comprehensive research university ranked 42nd globally in the 2010 QS World University Rankings[2] and has standing as one of the world's premier universities ranked in the upper tier.
The Chinese University is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao (winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics). Other eminent thinkers at the university include mathematician Shing-Tung Yau, holder of the prestigious Fields Medal and Veblen Prize, and computational theorist Andrew Yao, winner of the Turing Award.[3]
The Chinese University is an officially trilingual campus; its languages of instruction are English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. The school is also home to the renowned Yale-China Chinese Language Center.
The University has 61 academic departments organized under eight faculties: arts, business administration, education, engineering, social science, medicine, science, and law.[4] Within these 61 departments are 117 undergraduate programs and 247 postgraduate programs.[4]
Tradition and history
The university's founders hoped that it would become the bridge that connects China and the West, and to combine tradition with modernity.[5]
The collegiate system
As a collegiate university, it comprises four colleges that differ in character and history, each retaining substantial autonomy on institutional affairs: Chung Chi College, New Asia College, United College, and Shaw College. All undergraduates are affiliated to one of them.[6] Currently, five new colleges are to be established in the near future; namely Morningside College,[7] S. H. Ho College ,[8] C. W. Chu College, Wu Yee Sun College and Lee Woo Sing College.
Colleges are congenial communities with their own hostels, dining halls and other facilities. Students receive pastoral care and whole-person education, including formal and non-formal general education by means through close interaction with teachers and peers. Colleges are active promoters of various extracurricular activities. They are also important platforms for discussions and friendships.
A brief history
- 1957, New Asia College, Chung Chi College, and United College established the Hong Kong Chinese Higher Education Association, same year, the colleges received government funding and academic status.
- 1959, New Asia College, Chung Chi College, and United College became government funded institutions of higher education.
- 1963, New Asia College, Chung Chi College, and United College combined to become The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- 1965, School of Education established.
- 1976, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Ordinance enacted, CUHK was established as a collegiate university.
- 1977, School of Medicine established.
- 1986, Shaw College established.
- 1991, School of Engineering established.
- 2004, School of Law established.
- 2006, the establishment of two new colleges, Morningside College and S. H. Ho College, was announced.
- 2007, the establishment of another three colleges, C. W. Chu College, Wu Yee Sun College and Lee Woo Sing College, was announced.
Funding
In 2005, The Chinese University of Hong Kong's budget was HK$4,558 million, with government subventions of about HK$2,830 million.[9]
The University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCS) was established in 1965 under the name of the Department of Extramural Studies. In January 2006, the School was renamed the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Bearing the mission of providing quality continuing professional education programmes and services to meet the changing needs of society, the School offers a diverse range of courses and programs at different levels.
Rankings
In 2010, QS World University Rankings[2] placed CUHK at 42nd in the world, making it 3rd in Hong Kong and 6th in Asia. However, in the 2010 QS Asian University rankings, which employ a different methodology, CUHK came 4th.[10] In the global rankings the university jumped up 4 places from its position of 46th in the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings (in 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings parted ways to produce separate rankings). The University was ranked 46th worldwide in the World's Best University: Top 200 by U.S. News & World Report [2].
Libraries and Museum
The university library system houses the Hong Kong Studies Archive, Hong Kong Literature Collection, Chinese Overseas Collection, Nobel Laureate GAO, Xingjian Collection, Nobel Laureate CY Yang Archive, American Studies Resource Collection and Modern Chinese Drama Collection, which highlight the distinctive CUHK stock of literature in Hong Kong.
CUHK also houses The Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, which houses "a wide range of artifacts illuminating the rich arts, humanities and cultural heritage of ancient and pre-modern China."[9] The Chinese University of Hong Kong were in 2010, for its excellence in co-operation projects with the corporate world in Hong Kong, chosen to be a part of the BBNM Group[12]. Today, they are represented among the BBNM Member schools[13].
Faculties
There are nine main faculties at CUHK:
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Each faculty regulates different undergraduate degrees accordingly.
Yale-China Chinese Language Center
The Yale-China Chinese Language Center (CLC), formerly New Asia - Yale-in-China Chinese Language Center, was founded in 1963 under the joint auspices of New Asia College and the Yale-China Association. The Center became part of Chinese University in 1974 and has been responsible for the teaching of one language education (Putonghua and Cantonese) of University students as well as other Putonghua and Cantonese learners. Courses are offered in two different series, namely for non-native speakers and for native speakers of Chinese. All series have different levels in order to meet the needs and aptitude of students.
University Programs are divided into (a) Putonghua Courses for Local Students (b) Cantonese Courses for Mainland Chinese Students and (c) Putonghua and Cantonese Courses for International Exchange Students
Programs are provided to public as well in 2 difference streams namely (a) Putonghua/ Cantonese courses for non-native speakers (Chinese as a foreign language/second language, CFL), and (b) Putonghua/ Cantonese courses for native Chinese speakers.
Campus culture
There are many artworks on the campus; mostly representing Chinese culture, such as the Statue of Confucius within the New Asia College campus, the Lion Pavilion in the Chung Chi College, and the Ming De Mural in the United College.
Transportation
Although the campus is located away from the busier districts in Hong Kong, access to campus is relatively quick and easy. The university connects itself with the other districts of the city via the Mass Transit Railway and the Hong Kong bus system. Buses and trains stop by Chung Chi College.
See Maps of the Shatin main campus: Campus Maps
Hostels and dorms
Due to high demand, only about half of CU students are offered a dormitory room. There are a total of 23 dormitory halls, each of which belongs to one of the four colleges. There are also six additional halls for graduate students.
Controversies
Goddess of Democracy
On 29 May 2010, when the CUHK student union sought to permanently locate a 'Goddess of Democracy' statue on campus, the administrative and planning committee of the University convened an emergency meeting for 1 June, chaired by incumbent Vice-chancellor Lawrence Lau, to consider the request.[14] The application was turned down; the reason provided was the need for the University to maintain political neutrality. Staff and students objected to the refusal, however, accusing the committee of self-censorship; students declared they were prepared for a stand-off against the University, saying they would ensure the statues were accommodated on campus "at all costs".[15]
A student meeting was convened, and student union President Eric Lai told 2,000 attendees that the University officials should apologise for their opposition of the art display.[16] On 4 June, bowing to public outcry and student pressure, the University relented, and allowed the statue on campus.[17]
Vice-chancellor designate Joseph Sung, who was consulted on the vote in absentia, admitted that it was the biggest political storm in 21 years. He revealed that, in addition to preserving political neutrality, safety and security concerns were factors in the decision. He also drew a distinction between this application - for a permanent University installation - and hypothetical applications for short-term expressions of free speech, suggesting the latter would have been more likely to be approved, but he criticised the management team as "immature" and "inexperienced" in handling the incident.[14]
An editorial in The Standard criticised the committee's naivety in not anticipating the reaction. It was also highly critical of Sung for seeking to distance himself from the decision with such a "lame excuse".[17] Outgoing Vice-chancellor Lawrence Lau defended the committee's decision as "collective and unanimous" after "detailed consideration," citing the unanimous vote of the administrative and planning committee, and he disagreed with Sung's characterization of the management team. While the vote was unanimous, however, Sung stated that he had suggested the wording of the decision include the qualification that the committee "had not reached a consensus." [18]
The student union said the two professors should have communicated to reach a consensus, and that Lau's reply "failed to explain why the school used political neutrality as a reason to reject the statue."[19]
Vice-chancellors (Presidents)
- （1963-1978）Professor Choh-Ming Li (李卓敏教授)
- （1978-1987）Professor Ma Lin (馬臨教授)
- （1987-1996）Professor Sir Charles K. Kao (高錕教授), Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2009[20]
- （1996-2002）Professor Arthur Li (李國章教授)
- （2002-2004）Professor Ambrose King (金耀基教授)
- （2004-2010）Professor Lawrence J. Lau (劉遵義教授)
- （2010-Present）Professor Joseph Jao-yiu Sung (沈祖堯教授)
CUHK people
Focused Areas of Research
To maximize impact and benefit to society, CUHK has adopted in its Strategic Plan 2006 the strategy of focusing its research investments in five already distinguished fields of academic enquiry within the University[21]
- Chinese Studies
- Biomedical Sciences
- Information Sciences
- Economics and Finance
- Geoinformation and Earth Sciences
See also
- Education in Hong Kong
- List of universities in Hong Kong
- List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- Sister school from
Taiwan:Taipei Medical University,official Web
References
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ a b "QS World University Rankings 2010 Results".
- ^ Distinguished Faculty Members
- ^ a b "Chinese University of Hong Kong".
- ^ CU introduction
- ^ CUHK College system
- ^ Morningside
- ^ S.H. Ho College
- ^ a b CUHK Income and Expenditure 2004-2005 Cite error: The named reference "CUHK Income and Expenditure 2004-2005" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "QS Asian University Rankings 2010".
- ^ Evolution of the Gate
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBNM
- ^ http://bbnm.org/members.html
- ^ a b Siu, Beatrice (8 June 2010) Goddess posed huge `political risk' to campus, The Standard Retrieved on 8 Jun. 2010.
- ^ ""Goddess statue for CUHK campus `at all costs", The Standard Retrieved on 5 June 2010.
- ^ "Students give statue a new home". South China Morning Post
- ^ a b 'Mary Ma' (8 Jun. 2010). Sung rides on Goddess storm", The Standard Retrieved on 8 June 2010.
- ^ Siu, Beatrice (9 Jun. 2010) Chairman breaks silence on statue, The Standard Retrieved on 9 June 2010.
- ^ Chong, Tanna (9 Jun. 2010) "Students call for clear position on statue". South China Morning Post. Retrieved on 5 June 2010.
- ^ http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2009/
- ^ http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/english/research/research-study.html
External links
