Bulletin Vol. 7 No. 1 Sep 1970

T H E C H I N E S E U N I V E R S I T Y O F H O N G K O N G T H E U N I V E R S I T Y BULLETIN V O L U M E SEVEN SEPTEMBER 1970 NUMB ER ONE C O N T E N TS Page Chung Chi in The Chinese University 1 Chung Chi College Building Programme 3 Graduate School News 4 Recent Development of the School of Education 4 Vice-Chancellor attends International Conferences 5 Public Lectures 6 Seminars on Adult Education and Extramural Assembly 6 CUHK Student's OutstandingPerformance7 Personalia 7 Staff Profiles 7 Comings and Goings 8 College News 9 Ch u ng Ch i i n T he Ch i nese Un i v e r s i ty Aneditorial from Chung Chi Bulletin (No. 48, May 1970) by Dr. A. T. Roy, Vice-President for Public Relations of Chung Chi College The Chinese University of Hong Kong has chosen to be a federal type of university. The choice represented a marriage of historical necessity and principle; historical necessity because we began as a troika rather than as a "one-hoss shay" (a federal university was the only kind we could have shaped out of three quite different colleges) ; and principle, because many of us sincerely preferred a federal type and continue to do so. It is true that such a combination of reasons could prove to be unstable . . . like a husband admitting that his wife was the only woman that would have accepted him, and, besides, she was the only one he wanted. If we want to be, and remain, a federal university we must know why... for external pressures or internal weaknesses could both force us into becoming a unitary type of institution. If government and the Hong Kong community become convinced that we have a wasteful system, they will not support us in it. If, within the university we drag our feet and squabble, or develop college pride and jealousy of each other's strength, or sabotage the central office and make the system cumbersome and expensive in time and funds, then we will definitely end with an enforced uniformity, an unwilling but compelled unity. Why should we want a federal type of university? Both centralized and federal systems have advantages and disadvantages, strong and weak points. A unitary institution based on a hierarchical structure with a fixed chain of command, has a monolithic strength due to the elimination of friction, group competition and slow democratic processes. In addition to strength, it gives the appearance of unity, harmony, efficiency and economy. Its danger is that it, like a one-party political system, tends toward bureaucracy, fixity and dictatorship. After a period of disorder, it looks wonderful . . . but it is subject to the secret gnawing of white ants and, while still looking bright and shining, may one day suddenly crumble. Several of the world's great universities today suffer from a centralization which separated top administrators from faculty and students.