Every month our President Professor Way Kuo invites students to his office to talk to him for the purpose of knowing more about students’ life and sharing his views about CityU. On Nov 30 2009, a group of 20 students from the Student Residence, including Residence Tutors, Presidents of Residents’ Associations and Residence Life Assistants (student helpers of the Student Residence Office) were invited to have a dialogue with the President.

During the meeting, the President shared his views about three issues. First, CityU has great residence environments compared to most other universities in the world, especially considering Hong Kong’s high land cost and dense population. He hoped we would enjoy residence life and make full use of it. He recalled his own time in college, where the living conditions were not as good as ours. But he loved it and made it a place to learn. During his sharing of stories about his college life, we could feel his love and passion for college life.

Second, Prof. Kuo shared his views about leading CityU to be one of the top 100 universities in the world, which will benefit all CityU students and alumni. Becoming one of the top universities in the world calls for not only world-class facilities but also distinguished research and teaching staff. We were impressed by his strong determination and confidence to achieve the goal by attracting more top professors from around the world. But he also admitted that the road would be tough and fluctuation was unavoidable.

Thirdly, the President talked about the importance and the spirit of research. He explained research was a process of developing creative solutions to problems in everyday life, such as creating small electronic devices to recharge mobile phones on the road or even how to cook a fish without breaking its skin. After graduation not every one of us will go on to further study in research programs. But a critical mind a strong sense of seeking solutions are essential for a future leader, regardless of which major he is taking in college.

Talking with the President has given us a great opportunity to know more about his future perspectives for CityU and learn from his vision. We hope more students can have this kind of chance to talk to him face to face in the future.