Newsletter Special Issue

CUHK Appoints New Vice-Chancellor The Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong announced the appointment of Prof. Arthur K.C. L i as vice-chancellor of the University with effect from 1st August 1996, to succeed Prof. Charles K. Kao after the latter's retirement on 31st July 1996. An internationally- renowned surgeon, Prof. L i is currently dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University. Following the announcement of Prof. Kao's retirement, a Search Committee wasestablishedin November 1994 to advise the University Council on the appointment of Prof. Kao's successor. After a diligent world-wide search, the Search Committee received 30 nominations and applications. Among these very outstanding nominees and applicants are some of the very distinguished academics from Hong Kong and overseas, with profound experience in higher education management. Having carefully and rigorously considered the available candidates, the Search Committee. unanimously recommended thatProf.ArhturK.C.Li be appointed by the University Council as the next vice- chancellor of the University. Since October 1987, underthevice-chancellorship of Prof. Kao, the University has continued to grow from strength to strength. The two new Faculties of Education andEngineeringhavebeenaddedtotheoriginalfive faculties. The scope and contenet of the academic programmes at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels have been enhanced in response to the new and changing community needs. Seven new research institutes have been established to promote inter- disciplinary research within the University as well as in conjunction with other institutions. With the improved quality of teaching and research programmes, the University is able to attract alargeproportionofthemost outstanding students into its studies programmes. Tocopewithsuchrapidexpansionandthedemand for higher efficiency, the management system of the University has been reorganized with decentralization oftheUniversiytfunctionstothefacultiesandagreater emphasis on accountability and quality control. Major efforts have also beenmade to stregthen the academic linkages with centres of excellence worldwide and liaison with commerce and industry. ThisUniversityis privileged to have a team of very capable and dedicated teachers and staff members as well as an increasing number of alumni and benefactors who will continue to cherish and support the University's cause. As the fourth vice-chancellor of the Chinese University, Prof Arthur K.C. Li will lead the University into the 21st century. He will continue to build on the firm foundation laid by his predecessors to prepare the University for greater responsibilities locally and inter- nationally. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, with its unique mission and distinctive intellectual and cultural traditions, will continue to develop as a comprehensive modem university, as a citadel of learning and academic freedom, as a centre of excellence that explores, transmits and disseminates knowledge through its research, teaching and publication programmes, and as an institution that operates with efficiency, quality and a sense of purpose within the global academic community. As a modem university, the Chinese University is playing the important role of a knowledge pool to service the community at large. The Chinese University is a university that provides leadership in higher education in Hong Kong and the neighbouring region. Narrative Summary of the Curriculum Vitae of Prof. Arthur K. C. Li Pe r sonal Ba c k g r o u n d Prof. Arthur K.C Li was bom into the fourth generation of an established Hong Kong family with a well-known strong tradition of public service. He had a classical Chinese upbringing and his education up to secondary school was entirely in Hong Kong. Nurtured in the spirit of service to others, Prof. Li chooses to pursue a medical career and undertook the broader Natural Sciences Tripos path to medicine provided by Cambridge University. He chooses surgery because of the challenge and satisfaction of being able to do something skilful and positive for a sick person and see positive results. He continued his postgraduate training in England until a scholarship enabled him to work at Harvard Medial School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA where he furthered his specialist training. He chose hepatobiliary and upper gastrointestinal surgery because of the high incidence of these diseases and the need for such surgical expertise in Hong Kong. He was able to extend his experience by being appointed in 1980 to. a consultant post at the Royal Free Hospital, London, which was at that time well known for its hepatobiliary work. Ac adem ic Achievements Prof. Li has always striven for excellence, and tangible recognitions of this quest have been the award of the European Society for Surgical Research Prize (1980) followed by the Moynihan Medal of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (1982). Both these awards were and are competed for by many well-established surgeons from many countries. He is particularly proud that he managed to achieve these honours early in his career. Since then he has been granted honorary fellowships of several surgicalcolleges and renowned surgical associations, and honorary professorships at many academic institutions especially in China. He has been invited to deliver numerous eponymous lectures at prestigious overseas universities and keynote addresses at international congresses. He has continued to research on hepatobiliary and upper gastrointestinal subjects and has published to date over 200 original artivles in peer review journals, numerous book chapters and abstracts. Career Development Personal excellencehowevercannotreachallthe patients in need and having benefited from his own education,tutorsandmentors,itwaswithgreatjoyand anticipation that he took up the post of the Foundation Chair of Surgery at The Chinese Univeristy of Hong Kong in1982. This was a great opportunity to extend theachievement of excellencewithandthroughothers. Startingfromscratch,withtheteachinghospitalnot even completed,Prof.LiledtheDepartmentofSurgeryinto being amongst the best recognized surgical centres in the world within adecade. Thedepartmenthassofarproducedsevenfull professors and over 35 consultant surgeons in Hong Kong and overseas. The department has one of the best academic research records in terms of publication output and awards ofcompetitivegrants. In 1992 Prof. Li was invited by his professorial colleagues to tke on the deanship of the Medical Faculty, yet another opportunity to contribute to the improvement ofteachingandtraining. Overthepastthreeyearsthefacultyhasestablished itself as the leading academic unit in Hong Kong. This has even been recognized publicly by an independent public poll and published in the press. The faculty has had more researchprojectsapprovedandfundingfunding awarded than any other faculty in Hong Kong. At the last award ofcompetitive grants in the area of Medicine, Dentisry and Health from the Unversity Grants Committee, the faculty gained 55 per cent of all funding while the remaining 45 per cent was shared among other tertiary institutions. TheFacultyofMedicinehasgonefromstrengthto strength under the leadership of Prof. Li although he warmly admits the valuable foundations laid by his predecessors, and the broad education he has received spanning the world and three cultures. Prof. Li believes his international perspective has helped in forging a team out of an international hot pot. It is his conviction that no faculty or university can strive for excellence today without appreciating the value of taking the best from the world market Administrative Experience Having run a department of surgery, a faculty of medicine, and both teaching and non-teachin g hospitals, Prof. Li has gained extensive experience in managing large and complex organizations which even include non- academic institutions. When the Hong Kong government formed the Hospital Authority to revamp the health services, he was appointed onto the Board and was in charge of the Structure and Management Committee to reform previous practices. The management initiatives have been so successful that the committee evolved to become the Organisation Development Committee of which he was the vice- chairman. Continuing in the spirit of public service of his family, Prof. Li took up the responsibilities of chairman of the Hospital Governing Committee of the United Christian Hospital and the United Christian Medical Services. The hospital and medical services are run under a charitable organization and have limited resources. He undertook a programme to upgrade the services with a new extension block and the re-building of the old block. The net result was the transformation of a 675-bed hospital into a 1,300- acute-bed tertiary referral centre. Prof, Li also sits on a number of charitable trusts supported by very large endowment funds. These trusts fund educationalpursuitsandsupport specific projects and training. He has the necessary financial understanding that ensures wisemanagement of these funds. In essence Prof. Li is happiest in any situations where he can achieve excellence inthe service to others, whether they are patients, doctors, researchers, students, or the community at large. Last year he was appointed as a Hong Kong Affairs Advisor to China. Prof. Li is 50 years old and is married with two sons.