News
CNOOC donates HK$1 million to support student exchange at the Chinese University
6 JAN 2006
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) received a generous donation of HK$1 million from China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The donation will be dedicated to supporting international exchange scholarships for CUHK undergraduate students, in particular those from the mainland China.
Mr Fu Cheng Yu, the President of CNOOC and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CNOOC Limited, and the Directors of the Board of CNOOC attended the donation presentation ceremony and exchanged views with academics of the University on campus. At the ceremony, Mr Fu restated the commitment of the company to the community. Over the years, the company has supported numerous campaigns to relieve poverty and promote education. CNOOC and its staff donated liberally to aid victims of the tsunami in South Asia in 2004, and the tropical cyclone Katrina in the United States last year. "As a responsible corporate citizen, CNOOC has an annual giving of RMB ¥20 million to support social, educational and environmental protection programmes in the community."
Professor Lawrence J. Lau, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK expressed his deep gratitude to CNOOC for their generous gift. He mentioned that CUHK is the leading university in Hong Kong that has forged academic links with mainland universities since the 1970’s, that has started admitting mainland undergraduate students since 1997, and that established a liaison office on the mainland with a view to forging closer links with mainland institutions. Last year, CUHK pioneered the direct admission of undergraduate students from nationwide joint university entrance exam in the mainland China. "We anticipate that the total number of mainland students on our campus will steadily increase in the coming decade, and many of them will be able to benefit from the ample opportunities of overseas exchange realized by generous sponsors such as CNOOC," said Professor Lau.
Indeed, CUHK is the first university in Hong Kong that established student exchange programmes with overseas partners since 1965. Now, CUHK partners with around 190 institutions in 23 countries worldwide. This year, CUHK has over 600 incoming exchange students and close to 500 outgoing exchange students.