Newsletter No. 406

12 No. 406, 4.11.2012 What are alumni affairs about? ‘Connecting alumni’ sums up the work of the Alumni Affairs Office (AAO). Students study, make friends and get inspired in university. They pursue different paths after graduation but their connections with their alma mater do not end here. It’s a virtue to be grateful to the soil that nurtured you. We initiate connections with graduates to help them express this sentiment, and to pass on love and care from CUHK. This keeps them informed of the University’s growth and fosters bilateral communication. Another aspect of alumni affairs are the internal links among alumni groups. There are currently 150,000 CUHK alumni, with an age difference of 50 to 60 years between the youngest and the oldest. They belonged to different academic departments and have different professions. Together this group could potentially make up a massive and sustainable learning community where there’s frequent exchange of experience and know-how. Could you talk about your work? Maintaining and updating a large database is crucial and it never ends. To strengthen alumni’s sense of belonging, we publish and dispatch some 90,000 copies of the Chinese University Alumni Magazine every quarter to keep them informed of the latest at CUHK. When there are important developments, such as the new 3+3+4 curriculum and the Shenzhen campus, we host seminars to let them know more about the situation and to express their views. A major part of our work is keeping close and systematic communication with local and overseas alumni groups. Prof. Michael Hui and I recently paid a visit to associations in Australia and New Zealand, and reported CUHK’s recent happenings to them. We have also been helping mainland students set up such associations in mainland China, to help extend their relations with the University and with Hong Kong. I have launched a series of luncheons and dinner gatherings in the hope of bringing graduates together so we can discover everyone’s forte and build a network of synergy and knowledge exchange. Is being an active and veteran CUHK alumna an advantage for managing alumni affairs? Definitely. The Chinese University has a different structure from other universities. Someone who didn’t study here would have to spend time familiarizing himself/herself with its organization, procedures and network. As a veteran graduate, I have mastered all these already. I do not need to invest time in building relations. Networks don’t come about overnight. Almost all of my friends are CUHK graduates. I’ve known some of them for decades. When I need help, all I need to do is pick up the phone. Do years of experience in education facilitate your current job? How? I had been with the Education Bureau for close to 30 years. Then when Hong Kong’s education reform was well underway, I took up the reins of a new secondary school. I started from zero—setting the school’s vision, systems and curriculum; recruiting the teachers, mobilizing the parents, helping students build confidence and diversifying their growth. That took me 11 years and the school finally received accreditation. I had to think of ways to highlight the school’s strengths, motivate my colleagues to give their best, and know when to stick with our principles rather than blindly follow the government’s new policies. That was a solid experience. I learnt that a leader must have vision and must dare to innovate. He/she must have a clear mission and action plan to lead the organization and the stakeholders down the right path. It’s often said the CUHK graduates have the most distinguishable characteristics among those of local institutions. Do you agree? I do. CUHK students are good at thinking independently, so it’s only natural that they speak up no matter what fields they are in. Our alumni hold a diverse range of beliefs and value systems, and these should all be respected and tolerated in a free society. My responsibility is to try to see things from their points of view, and to relay to them the facts and the supporting data. How do you feel after more than half a year on the job? I’m very happy here and I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back. Through my work, I’ve got to know quite a few alumni and reconnected with friends I hadn’t met in years. I learnt a lot from them. My challenge is finding the right mindset and means to deal with unprecedented requests and tricky issues arising from this immense group of former students. The University is celebrating its Golden Jubilee in 2013. It’s a time for graduates to reminisce and rekindle the flame, and to become more involved in the University. I’m hoping for more harmony, consensus and solidarity, and a better understanding of University policies. 請掃描QR碼閱讀全文版 Scan the QR code for the full version Photos of Ms. Connie Au in this issue are by Keith Hiro Ms. Connie Au , Director of Alumni Affairs 校友事務到底是怎樣的概念? 「聯繫校友」四字是校友事務工作 的精義。學生在大學得到學識、友 情、思維的啟發，畢業後，事業人 生路各有不同，但不代表他們與 母校的關係就此中斷。對育養的土 地存感恩之心，是一種美德。我們 主動聯繫，既協助他們表達這份心 意，也傳送母校的關懷，加強他們 了解大學發展，造就雙向溝通。校 友社群的內在聯繫是校友事務的另 一面。中大校友現時已達十五萬之 多，涵蓋了五六十年的年齡差異、 各種系別、修業模式、專長；試想如 果能夠促進不同屆別的校友交流經 驗和知識，凝聚成一個可持續的學 習社群，那將是一股多大的力量！ 可講解一下具體工作嗎？ 維持和更新龐大的資料庫是聯繫所 倚，工作終年不竭。要加強校友的 歸屬感，必須讓他們掌握大學的脈 搏，每季我們寄出的《中大校友》就 達九萬多份。舉凡有重大發展，如 3+3+4新學制、深圳校園等，必組 織座談會讓校友了解實況，發表意 見。了解增加，誤會自然減少。有系 統地與本地與海外校友會密切聯 絡，是重點工作。最近我就和許敬 文副校長探訪了澳洲和新西蘭的校 友會，匯報大學近期發展。我們也 戮力協助內地生在內地成立校友會，這有助延續他們跟中大以至香港 社會的關係。我也開展了一系列茶聚晚飯，希望建立聯繫基礎，並發掘 校友的優點和強項，建立協作和知識轉移的網絡。 身為一向積極參與的資深校友，統領校友事務是否特別有利？ 絕對是。中大的架構跟別的大學不一樣，非校友需花時間認識其組織、 工作程序、人脈。身為資深校友，我對此了然於胸，否則，便要多花點時 間互相認識，建立關係。關係的建立不是朝夕間事，可幸我的朋友幾乎 都是校友，有些已有幾十年交情，一通電話，二話不說便會幫忙。 多年的教育界經驗對現在的工作有何幫助？ 我在教育局工作近三十年，繼而在香港教育改革如火如荼的時期，出任 一間新中學的校長，由零開始，建立學校遠景、系統、課程、老師團隊， 動員家長力量，鼓勵學生建立自信，多元發展，用了十一年，發展至學校 廣獲認可。我要思考如何突出學校的優點，誘導同儕發揮所長，堅持辦 學宗旨，不盲從受制於政府的新政。那是很扎實的經驗，我學習了身為 領導人必須高瞻遠矚，敢於創新，訂立清晰的理念和行動方案，帶領團 體和持份者邁向正確的方向。 都說中大校友最有性格和特色，同意嗎？ 的確是。中大人都強於獨立思考，在社會各崗位積極發聲、發光、發 熱，理所當然。校友的思考模式和價值觀各有不同，在自由社會應得到 尊重和包容。我的責任是了解其訴求和理據，也讓他們了解客觀事實。 上任半年多了，感受如何？ 我在這崗位覺得很開心，也感恩能有機會身體力行，全心全意回饋母 校。我因工作認識不少校友，又重會很多數十年不見的朋友，從他們身 上獲益良多。面對這樣龐大的校友社群，用甚麼心態和方法照顧一些 聞所未聞的要求，或化解尖銳的問題，是我面對的挑戰。2013年金禧校 慶是牽動校友緬懷、燃點熱情、加強參與的良好契機，期待大家從此更 加和諧，對大學政策和事務更多理解，有更強的共識，更加團結。 區月晶女士 校友事務處處長