Newsletter No. 175

4,118 Degrees Conferred at the 56th Congregation Vice-Chance ll or Prof. Arthur K.C. Li presiding at the conferment of degrees T he University's 56th congregation for the conferment of degrees took place on Thursday, 7th December 2000 at the University Mall. Of the 4,118 degrees awarded that mo r n i ng, four were honorary doctorates, 103 were PhDs, seven were MDs, 1,122 were master's degrees, and 2,882 bachelor's degrees. This year honorary doctorates were awarded to four distinguished persons. Dr. Lee Kuan Yew, Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office of the Republic of Singapore, was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Prof. Chen Jiaer, president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and former president of Peking University, was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International and founder of Soka University, Japan, and Dr. Tin Ka-ping, successful entrepreneur and well-known philanthropist, were each awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Social Science. Their citations were written and delivered by Prof. Serena Jin and Prof. Andrew Parkin, the public orators. On the same day, the four colleges, the Part-time Degree Programmes, and the Graduate School also held graduation ceremonies for their students. ↑ (From left) The honorary graduates Dr. Tin Ka-ping, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Prof. Chen Jiaer, and Dr. Lee Kuan Yew posing with Dr. Lee Hon-chiu, chairman of the University Council, and Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, vice-chancellor ↓The procession marching to the congregation ground Degree Breakdown Honorary Doctorates 4 Doctor of Medicine 7 Doctor of Philosophy 103 Master's 1,122 Bachelor's 2,882 Total 4,118 Bachelor Degree Breakdown by Field Arts 432 Business Administration 512 Education 126 Engineering 423 Medical Sciences 5 Medicine and Surgery 151 Nursing 99 Pharmacy 25 Science 557 Social Science 552 Total 2,882 Conference on the Legacy of Sociologist C . K . Yang A n international conference entitled 'Sociology and Chinese Society in Transition' was held on campus from 30th November to 2nd December to celebrate the life and work of Prof. C.K. Yang, world renowned sociologist who passed away in January 1999. The conference was jointly organized by the CUHK Department of Sociology, the Asian Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Sociology Department of Zhongshan University, and financially supported by the Lingnan Foundation. Prof. Fei Xiaotong, Prof. Yang's classmate and roommate at Yenching University over 60 years ago, delivered a keynote speech, and Mr. Mark Nodenberg, chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, addressed the conference. Prof. C.K. Yang had exerted enormous influence on social science in China and the understanding of China in the world. His scholarly work on community studies and religion remains classics. His impact was widely felt in Hong Kong where he was instrumental in upgrading the professional standard of the Department of Sociology at The Chinese University in the 60s and 70s, and at Lingnan University, Guangdong, where he served as chair of the Sociology Department from 1948 to 1951. He joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1953, where he became a pioneer of international studies and laid the groundwork for Pittsburgh University's commitment to Asia. In 1979, he returned to China and, with support from the Chinese Academy of Social Science and renowned sociologist Fei Xiaotong, helped to reestablish sociology in China.