Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2004

New Developments in Academic Affairs Our Mission To assist in the preservation, creation, application and dissemination of knowledge by teaching, research and public service in a comprehensive range of disciplines, thereby serving the needs and enhancing the well-being of the citizens of Hong Kong, China as a whole, and the wider world community. Our Vision To be acknowledged locally, nationally and internationally as a first-class comprehensive research university whose bilingual and multicultural dimensions of student education, scholarly output and contribution to the community consistently meet standards of excellence. U G C R e a f f i r ms CUHK's Role as a Comprehensive Research University TheUniversity Grants Committee (UGC) issued a document in January this year differentiating the roles of the UGC-funded higher education institutions and making suggestions on how to promote their international competitiveness. The UGC believes that the whole of the higher education sector should seek to achieve the goal of developing Hong Kong into an education hub of the region. Each institution should contribute to this endeavour in its own differing and unique way and in a complementary manner. Thus each institution should aspire to be top in the region at what it and the UGC have agreed on as its role. The Chinese University has been designated as a comprehensive research university which (a) offers a range of programmes leading to the award of first degrees and postgraduate qualifications in subject areas including Arts, Science, Social Sciences and Business Administration; (b) incorporates professional schools such as Medicine, Architecture, Engineering and Education; (c) pursues the delivery of teaching at an internationally competitive level in all the taught programmes that it offers; (d) offers research postgraduate programmes for a significant number of students in selected subject areas; (e) aims at being internationally competitive in its areas of research strength; (f) contributes to the development of Hong Kong, China as a whole, and the region through quality education, research, engagement and service, in all the disciplines it offers; (g) pursues actively deep collaboration in its areas of strength with other higher education institutions in Hong Kong or the region or more widely so as to enhance Hong Kong's higher education system; (h) encourages academic staff to engage in public service, consultancy and collaborative work with the private sector in areas where they have special expertise, as part of the institution's general collaboration with government, business and industry; and (i) manages in the most effective and efficient way the public and private resources bestowed upon the institution, employing collaboration whenever it is of value. The University welcomes its designated role and will do its utmost in fulfilling its educational ideals so as to carry out integrated implementation of teaching and research, provide social service, and contribute to society. 1 8 Chinese University Bulletin Spring • Summer 2004