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The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
The University Grants Committee (UGC) celebrates its 50th anniversary today (September 9). The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, and the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, officiated at the cocktail reception and presentation ceremony of the 2015 UGC Teaching Award.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the UGC, Mr Edward Cheng, congratulated the higher education sector for having made great strides and attained much international recognition over the years. Apart from the hard work of the institutions, he believed the success of the sector has been underpinned by the support of the Government and its respect for the role of UGC. He thanked the leadership of the distinguished UGC chairmen and the dedicated service of the prominent individual local and non-local UGC members over the years.
Looking ahead, Mr Cheng expected that under its solid foundation, the UGC sector would continue to build on the opportunities granted by the four-year curriculum under the new academic structure. Institutions should engage in greater research collaboration at all levels, pooling resources and sharing expertise to build critical mass in the many disciplines where the sector excelled. There should be further support for translational or midstream research that has the potential of generating societal benefits and impact within a short period.
Mr Cheng said, ˇ§The UGC serves as the buffer between the Government and the institutions, and is committed to working towards a brighter future for Hong Kong's higher education.ˇ¨ The UGC would continue to draw on local and non-local expertise in its work ahead, upholding the core values of academic freedom and institutional autonomy underpinned by good governance.
The ceremony also presented the 2015 UGC Teaching Award to three faculty members in the 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 recipients of the award are:
Dr Michael G Botelho, Associate Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Gail Forey, Associate Professor, Department of English, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Professor Woo Kam-tim, Associate Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The award citations are at Annex 1.
The three recipients of the 2015 UGC Teaching Award were selected from among 15 outstanding nominees nominated by their institutions. The selection of the final recipients of the UGC Teaching Award went through a rigorous process undertaken by a selection panel convened by Professor Adrian Dixon. The selection criteria and the composition of the selection panel for the 2015 UGC Teaching Award are at Annex 2.
When announcing the result of this year's award, Professor Dixon said, ˇ§Striving for research excellence and advocating the importance of teaching are of fundamental importance for Hong Kong to remain internationally competitive within the global field of education. Hong Kong institutions are blessed with remarkable teachers.ˇ¨ Professor Dixon commended the awardees for making tremendous academic, intellectual and personal impact on their students.
The ceremony was well attended by UGC's former chairmen, former and present members of the UGC, the Research Grants Council and the Quality Assurance Council; council chairmen, heads, senior management and faculty members of the UGC-funded institutions, as well as key stakeholders in the higher education sector.
Ends/Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Issued at HKT 21:27
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