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Following is the speech delivered by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, at the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Banquet of the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (December 6):
Dr (C Y) Leung, Professor Kuo (Way), ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to join you in celebrating City University's 25th Anniversary. CityU has certainly racked up a number of outstanding achievements in its relatively short history.
From humble beginnings at the Argyle Centre in 1984 to the modern present-day campus in Kowloon Tong, CityU has made, and continues to make, remarkable progress.
Through its pursuit of excellence in teaching, scholarships and research, CityU was granted university status in 1995. This year the school was ranked an impressive 124th in the world in the respected Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
That's what I call quick learning.
The reputation of CityU's College of Business is also growing rapidly with accreditation from three agencies making it the only triple-accredited business school in the Greater China region.
Today, CityU has over 19,000 students and 98,000 graduates.
On a personal note, my close association with CityU began in 2001 when I had the privilege of serving as Deputy Council Chairman.
It was a very enjoyable and challenging experience. It also gave me an insight into the vision of the leaders in the governing council, the quality of the University's presidents past and present, and the eagerness and dedication of academics, staff and students. Many of whom are here tonight.
I congratulate you all on a job well done. My heartiest and warmest congratulations.
Anniversaries are also a time to look forward, as well as back. Looking to the future is what we were doing in 2001 and 2002 when I headed the Estates and Development Committee.
Our most exciting project at the time was visioning for the Creative Media Centre, or CMC. The CMC is almost finished now, but back then it was little more than a bright idea. We visited experts around the world before deciding on a design for the CMC. Our overall concept was to provide world-class facilities that would suit industry and academia and bring creative media in Hong Kong to a whole new level. I look forward to visiting the finished product next year and to seeing its impact on creative media in Hong Kong.
And I'm glad to say, today I've got the first glimpse of it. Looking at this spectacular laser show, the way you have filled up the whole length of this hall with a background - it's something that is awesome. I congratulate you on a job well done.
Overall, our higher education sector is entering an important phase in its development. In three years, the first cohort of graduates from the new senior secondary academic structure will enter universities to enroll in the revamped 4-year undergraduate programmes.
At CityU, a new Academic and Administration Building is under construction on campus to help cater for the additional students. Some new student hostels are also being built. Similar work is under way at universities across the city.
Besides hardware, universities are also busy developing the new curriculum. With one additional year of undergraduate study, students will be required to take more classes outside their major and will have more opportunities for exchange programmes. This will help better prepare them for the demands of the 21st Century.
We also want more non-local students to come to Hong Kong and experience our unique learning environment. Our world-class education system, location on the southeastern tip of China and high quality city lifestyle represents an attractive option for overseas students.
Opening the door for more international students is one way to develop the education services sector. Our Chief Executive spoke about this in some detail in his Policy Address in October. Our aim is to further enhance Hong Kong's position as a regional education hub, to nurture high-quality students and talents and increase our competitiveness in the long run.
If the past 25 years are any indication, CityU will continue to be a key player in our pursuit for excellence in education.
Once again, congratulations on your 25th Anniversary and I wish the City University of Hong Kong every success in the future.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Sunday, December 6, 2009
Issued at HKT 21:52
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