It is my honour to address you in this newsletter for the first time as President of City University of Hong Kong (CityU). I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome from the University Pro-Chancellor, Council Chairman and members, and other University members at my Installation Ceremony on 18 May 2023.

I joined CityU from Singapore in January, more than four months before assuming office in May. During this period, I informally visited all 10 Colleges and Schools, including departments and individual faculty members of different seniority, and I engaged in casual conversations with students across the campus. Seeing a strong sense of pride and deep commitment to CityU among many staff and students was heartening. I would like to pay an exceptional tribute to Professor Way Kuo for his 15 years of leadership, which propelled CityU to become one of two universities in the world with the fastest upward trajectory in global university rankings. Drawing on my decades of experience in academia and being an academic and inventor myself, I am committed to leveraging CityU’s existing strengths and leading the University to new heights of distinction in academic excellence, innovative research and impactful community engagement.

In my address at the Installation Ceremony, I emphasised the importance of going beyond traditional Institutional Learning and becoming more learning-centric rather than teaching-centric through Inspirational Learning, Interactive Learning and Innovative Learning. Inspiration Learning ignites a passion that motivates students to seek knowledge, not to pass exams but to satisfy their curiosity; Interactive Learning equips students with the ability to work and learn effectively in teams; while Innovative Learning encourages students to explore outside academic boundaries and embrace inventions. To achieve these learning outcomes and prepare our students for a sustainable, lifelong career and future, students must be empowered to gain hands-on experience through internships and other experiential learning opportunities. It is my intent that CityU’s students will not just get a great degree but also a wonderful and enduring education while here.

As a globally connected university, as befits its namesake, “Universe-city”, we should regard connecting and engaging with the community not as an option but as a core value, both to benefit the people around us and to educate our students about their social responsibilities. Our mission is to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation across disciplines to tackle the complex challenges facing our highly digitalised modern world. For both faculty and students, we need to encourage and even incentivise and promote all forms of research with the potential for technological, economic or social impact, for now and in the future.

CityU’s continued success would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of our students, faculty and alumni community. Alumni associations including the Convocation, Eminence Society, and alumni networks spreading locally, in mainland China and overseas have contributed in various ways to University development. I cherish continuous support from alumni and look forward to meeting more alumni and listening to your views on University development.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new graduates who recently completed their studies at CityU. As you embark on a new chapter in your lives and become part of our alumni family, I hope you will continue to embody the CityU spirit and make a positive impact, locally and globally. Please stay connected with your alma mater.

I wish you a great summer and look forward to meeting with you soon!

Professor Freddy Boey
President and University Distinguished Professor