The Society in Hong Kong

The University is also an important nurturing ground for a quality citizenship with strong ethics, civic responsibility and integrity.

As a publicly funded institution, CUHK serves the local community by addressing the intellectual, social and economic needs of Hong Kong. It has a pivotal role to play in boosting the innovative capacity of the local community, nurturing a highly skilled workforce of global thinkers and problem solvers, as well as making an impact on the region in which Hong Kong is located. The University is also an important nurturing ground for a quality citizenship with strong ethics, civic responsibility and integrity. It is a powerful change agent that can inculcate positive social values and bring new energies into society.

Higher education in Hong Kong, as with most other jurisdictions, has been evolving from a relatively closed system primarily serving the local population towards a more open and internationalized enrollment, which is essential for universities in maintaining their global presence and relevance in order to stay competitive and to excel.

With the successful implementation of the 3+3+4 academic reform, public funding and resources are unlikely to increase significantly in the short to medium term. Yet the University's need to continuously build new capacity and the demands to modernize its institutional infrastructure are ever increasing. Innovation is required to rationalize resource allocation and manage strategy, as well as diversify sources of income.

A rapidly changing environment calls for timely response in policy and development, whereas the expectation for engagement, both internally and externally, has been growing, which requires more effective communication. The University has to address and reconcile demands from various stakeholders with diverse and evolving interests, and to balance the need for operational efficiency and consensus building.