Creating Hope For Young People
An Interview with President Professor Roland Chin
President Professor Roland Chin is going to retire by the end of 2020, having served the University for five years. Under President Chin’s remarkable leadership, HKBU has successfully implemented its Institutional Strategic Plan (2018-2028) that aims to transform the University into a leading liberal arts institution with global significance. During President Chin’s tenure, the University has accomplished great achievements in academic, research, campus development and fundraising endeavours. On the eve of his retirement, the future of HKBU students and their development still lie in President Chin’s heart. During the interview, he mentioned numerous times that it is important that we give young people hope for the future.
Investing in Human Resources – Talent 100 Initiative
Nurturing human capital is the prime objective of a university, and HKBU is of no exception. President Chin strongly believes that people are the most important asset of a university, including its faculty and students. He is of the view that only the best teachers can attract the best students, which in turn will draw more talents into the institution. To that end, President Chin has been hugely committed to implementing the Talent 100 initiative, targeting to recruit the best and the brightest faculty staff for the University to reach greater heights of academic excellence and to raise the University’s global presence and visibility through strengthening its research capability in its areas of focus. The recruitment plan has so far achieved great success, resulting in bringing on board 105 outstanding scholars in different parts of the world.
Establishment of a New Campus - the Jockey Club Campus of Creativity
An extraordinary fundraiser, President Chin has, during his five-year tenure, raised two billion dollars for the University, including a record-breaking donation for the construction of the University’s new campus – The Jockey Club Campus of Creativity which comprises a state-of-the-art creative hub and student residential halls. When completed, the new campus will turn a new page in the annals of the University. It will be the first complex in Hong Kong to integrate student accommodation, academic facilities and a co-creation space, allowing students to inhabit and mingle in a culturally and intellectually stimulating living and learning environment. Furthermore, this new campus, standing as a towering icon of creativity education, will occupy an important position in the global higher education sector. The creative hub will also provide a new and vibrant living-learning environment that facilitates interaction among students and at the same time fosters creativity and interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration, thereby delivering the best student learning experience and enhancing the university's research excellence - the goals that has been set out in its Institutional Strategic Plan. In a humble tone, President Chin said, “the success in implementing the new campus plan owes largely to the efforts of outstanding staff members of the University. I am not only grateful to the dedicated team toiling behind the scenes, but also thankful for the staunch support of our alumni.” During the interview, President Chin also made his heart-felt remark to both staff members and students that, “we have been blessed by the constant support of stakeholders of the University in accomplishing our missions. Their efforts in helping to transform HKBU into a liberal arts university in Asia for the world are greatly appreciated. In order that we don’t disappoint them, we need to work even harder.”
Think Outside the Box
Hong Kong has been seriously disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, like other places in the world. We have also been hard hit by the social unrest, then geopolitical tension and the economic downturn since last year. President Chin advises that students should stay positive and try to find light even in a tunnel. To do so, they must think outside the box, and try to explore untrodden avenues from a brand new angle. He said, “young people are facing a world that looks nothing like the past, they should have an innovative mindset, be willing to explore and be creative, and to prepare themselves for unexpected challenges ahead. They should seize every opportunity to learn and to collaborate with others.” Taking the establishment of six new interdisciplinary labs as an example, President Chin said, “The launch of six new exciting interdisciplinary labs at HKBU is an innovative approach to drive cutting-edge research in focused areas and expand the existing research strengths of the University. It offers creative solutions to emerging global challenges that combine arts, humanities, film, ethics, and creative disciplines with AI, big data, Chinese medicine, economics, and biological and physical science.”
Giving Hope to Young People
To President Chin, the social unrest in Hong Kong in 2019 is considered the most unforgettable and heart-breaking incident during his term of office with HKBU. While on the topic, President Chin reiterated firmly that we should let young people harbour hope for themselves and the society at large. What the University could do in this respect is to enhance students’ competencies for their future career pursuit, so that not only are they able to establish themselves in Hong Kong, but are also able to look beyond the territory for opportunities elsewhere. Even on the eve of his retirement, President Chin still cares very much about young people’s future and their development. A few months ago, he requested the Alumni Affairs Office to work with the Office of Student Affairs to set up the BUhub – the first easy-to-use online interactive platform that seamlessly connects all HKBU community including students, staff members, alumni, employers, and mentors and helps students and young alumni to seek job opportunities and job advices.
Thankful for Alumni’s Staunch Support
President Chin would like to express his special thanks to all HKBU alumni for their steadfast support for the University. Having worked at four universities in both HK and the US, he feels that the tremendous care and support HKBU alumni rendered to their alma mater can hardly be surpassed elsewhere. He hopes that the unwavering support of alumni will remain for the years to come, and that they will continue to participate actively in all future events of the University.
Upon his retirement, President Chin is optimistic about HKBU’s future. He hopes that in the years to come, the University will continue to march forward steadily. He promises that he will forever be a member of the HKBU family and will continue to render his support whenever needed.
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| President Professor Roland Chin |
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| President Chin presented medals to alumni who graduated 25 years or above at the Investiture Ceremony on Homecoming Day over the past 5 years.
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| President Chin enjoyed the reunion events with alumni on the Homecoming Days.
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| The HKBU Alumni Association of Beijing was inaugurated on 6 July 2019 in Beijing, the ceremony was graced by the presence of President Chin and the University delegation.
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| President Chin attended and shared the joy with alumni in the Inauguration Ceremony of the HKBU Alumni Association of the Greater Bay Area in Shenzhen on 11 January 2020.
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| The Inauguration Ceremony of the HKBU Alumni Association of Shanghai was staged in Shanghai on 9 December 2017 and was well attended by President Chin and a University delegation.
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| President Chin expressed his gratitude to alumni supporters for their contribution to the First-Generation University Student Fund in the Alumni Tree Naming Ceremony which was held on 18 May 2017.
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