Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2006

Chinese University Bulletin Autumn · Winter 2006 30 O n behalf of my fellow honorary graduates and myself, I wish to express our deep gratitude to the University for the high honours which have been conferred on us and for the kind and generous citations.We receive the award with humility and we are proud to be admitted to the rank of honorary graduates of this distinguished university. It is an award which we shall treasure. It gives me particular pleasure to receive the award from this university. I was privileged to have been involved in the expansion of tertiary education in late 1980’s and early 1990’s as chairman of the committee now known as the University Grants Committee. With rapid growth, the tertiary institutions faced many difficult challenges. I witnessed how The Chinese University rose to meet the challenges successfully. In the last twodecades, its development has been truly impressive. With its global vision and its mission to combine tradition with modernity and to bring together China and the West, the University is a unique institution and makes an invaluable contribution. The University must be congratulated on what it has achieved. I am confident it will go from strength to strength and I wish it every success in its endeavours. On this happy occasion, I would like to offer some remarks to our young graduates at both first degree and postgraduate levels. First An address given by The Honourable Chief Justice Li Kwok-nang, Andrew CBE, LLD (Hon), DLitt (Hon), MA, LLM, QC, JP of all, I wish to offer them my sincere and heartiest congratulations. I am sure that the graduating students will agreewithmewhen I say that you owe a great debt of gratitude to your families and your teachers for their unstinting support and wise guidance. It is a debt of honour which I am sure you will never forget. Theymust be very happy today and have every reason to be proud of your achievements. To them, I also wish to extend my congratulations and best wishes. The body of alumni is amost important stake- holder of any university and can provide it with invaluable support. You have received much from the University and I trust that you will do your part to contribute to the develop- ment of your alma mater in future years. It is nowover three decades since I startedmy working life after graduation fromuniversity and the completion of professional training. In the late 1960’s and the early 1970’s, the world was very different fromwhat it is today.World affairs were dominated by the Cold War. Major events included the Six-Day War in the Middle East and the VietnamWar. China was at the height of the Cultural Revolution andwas closed to the outside world. The first human heart transplant was carried out. Man set foot on the moon for the first time. I use ‘man’ advisedly since no woman was on that flight. Compact discswere unknown, let alone personal computers and the internet. Stars