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New
role statement
City University was given a new role statement by the University Grants
Committee on 10 January, Prof H K Chang President, when
he met with the Working Group on Role Differentiation, chaired by Sir
Colin Lucas. The new role statement is believed to drive the
Academic Development Proposals 2005-08, now under draft, that the University
will submit to UGC later this year. The statement reads, in full that
CityU:
| (a)
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offers
a range of professionally oriented programmes leading to the award
of first degrees, and a small number of sub-degree programmes; |
| (b)
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pursues
the delivery of teaching at an internationally competitive level
in all the taught programmes that it offers; |
| (c)
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offers
a number of taught postgraduate programmes and research postgraduate
programmes in selected subject areas particularly in professional
and applied fields; |
| (d)
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emphasises
application-oriented teaching, professional education and applied
research; |
| (e)
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aims
at being internationally competitive in its areas of research strength; |
| (f)
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emphasises
high value-added educational programmes for whole person development
and professional competencies and skills; |
| (g)
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maintains
strong links with business, industry, professional sectors, employers
as well as the community; |
| (h)
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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 the Hong Kong higher education system; |
| (i)
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encourages
academic staff to be engaged 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 |
(j) |
manages in the most effective
and efficient way the public and private resources bestowed upon the
institution, employing collaboration whenever it is of value. |
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Items
(b), (e), (h), (i) and (j) are similar for all institutions: item
(f) is specific to CityU. |
Prof Chang welcomes the new
statement. He said CityU now has a better and more focused statement than
the previous version given to us some nine years ago. The statement allows
us to grow academically into "a university of significance."
He also views the new role statement as a "contract" between
UGC and CityU, and thus "it is imperative that... we can live up
to this defined role," he said, lest we forget future UGC funding
will be tied to the performance outcomes based on our assumed role.
In setting similar entries
in role statements for all the institutions, the UGC wishes to emphasise
the need for all teaching to be delivered at an international level and
for "deep collaboration" among institutions. The UGC also stresses
the importance of institutions and their staff to actively engage in public
service, consultancy and collaboration.
The UGC intends to review
the role statements at the end of the next triennium in 2008.
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| AD
Final Report
The Council, on 14 January, endorsed the recommendations in the Final
Report, submitted by the Working Group on Associate Degree Programmes,
chaired by Mr S M Chung. (www.cityu.edu.hk/cityutoday/)
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| Faculty
giving
The University, through the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DAO),
has launched a staff giving campaign in late December. Under the campaign,
staff are encouraged to donate, on a voluntary basis, any appropriate
amount. By now, more than 130 staff members have donoted HK$800,000.
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| Ex-gratia
payment for redundancy
The Management Board in its
9 January meeting endorsed, in principle, revising the formula for calculating
ex-gratia payment for redundancy cases that may arise after 1 July 2004.
The recommended revised formula, to incorporate staff input through consultations
before putting toward to the Council, will be E=Y/2 x M, where Y is the
number of years of staff member's prior continuous service and M is the
final monthly salary. A cap is put at 12 months' salary. This is a reduction
from the existing formula in use in the Departure Scheme, applications
for which will close on 14 February.
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Sabbatical
and professional development leave
The Management Board endorsed proposals by the Staff Development
Committee to review the two kinds of leave, the former for academic staff
and the latter for academic equivalent administrative staff. The major
recommendations, to be effective 1 July 2004, have to go to the Council
via the Staffing and Conditions of Service Committee. They are, in essence:
(a) the University may contribute, at a rate of one month for each year
of service, towards sabbatical leave for academic staffˇXboth contract
and superannuable termsˇXappointed on or after 1 July 2002; (b) the professional
leave scheme shall be discontinued.
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New
Year staff party
A Chinese new year staff party will take place in the Multi-purpose Room
and Chai Tai-Ho Hall, on 28 January, the seventh day of the new year,
from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. The party will feature buffet style lunch, performances
and lucky draws.
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| Kudos
Dr Priscilla Leung,
Assoc Prof (SLW), has been appointed arbitrator of the China International
Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) and panel judge of
the Panel of Neutrals of the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre under
CIETAC.
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More
Kudos
The Ancient Ceramics Scientific Authentication Centre of CityU Professional
Services Ltd received certification from the Hong Kong Quality Assurance
Agency as having fulfilled the requirements of ISO 9001:2000. Dr
P L Leung, Assoc Prof (AP), is Centre Director.
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