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The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
The University Grants Committee (UGC) held a presentation ceremony for the 2014 UGC Teaching Award today (September 10) to honour academics in UGC-funded institutions for their outstanding teaching performance and achievements, as well as their leadership and scholarly contribution to teaching and learning within and across institutions.
The presentation ceremony was well attended by UGC Members, Council Chairmen and Heads of the UGC-funded institutions and their senior management, as well as those nominated for the award and some 40 outstanding academics.
The recipients of the 2014 UGC Teaching Award, in alphabetical order, are:
Professor Charles Kwong Yim-tze, Professor of Chinese and Translation and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Lingnan University
Mr John Lin Chun-han, Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong
Dr Elaine Liu Suk-ching, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong
The award citations are at Annex A.
Speaking at the award presentation ceremony, the Chairman of the UGC, Mr Edward Cheng, congratulated the awardees and nominees on their accomplishments and thanked the UGC-funded institutions and Members of the Selection Panel to the UGC Teaching Award for their support.
Mr Cheng said, "The awardees of the UGC Teaching Award are ambassadors of good teaching. They are passionate in their teaching, and are instrumental to enhancing the student learning experience through various ways, from the use of new pedagogies to the provision of opportunities for students to interact with society. Their passion has led them to share their valuable teaching philosophies with their peers through building up various forms of communities of practice to inspire other academics of effective teaching practices."
He said he believed that the organisation of the UGC Teaching Award not only demonstrated the UGC's appreciation for the hard work of academics of Hong Kong's higher education sector, but, more importantly, contributed to a real and sustained impact in promoting teaching excellence.
The three recipients of the 2014 UGC Teaching Award were selected from among 16 outstanding nominees through a rigorous process. All nominees were carefully selected by their own institutions. The selection of the final recipients of the UGC Teaching Award was undertaken by a Selection Panel convened by Professor William Kirby. The selection criteria and the composition of the Selection Panel for the 2014 UGC Teaching Award are at Annex B.
Professor Kirby, who has been the Chairperson of the Selection Panel for the past four years, believes that the differences between a university and a research institution are that universities pay attention to teaching, education, mentorship and the impact of great teachers on the lives of their students and the broader community.
When announcing the result of this year's award, Professor Kirby said, "The universities here in Hong Kong are blessed with great teachers. We have met truly extraordinary educators." He commended the awardees for inspiring their students and engaging them in learning with energy and enthusiasm. The three awardees have demonstrated leadership in teaching within and across institutions and gained award grant initiatives that could reward their institutions and the entire UGC sector in teaching and learning.
Ends/Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Issued at HKT 21:25
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