It is said that only in times of adversity do one’s true friends reveal themselves. Most people will agree that 2019/20 was one of those times! The challenges it posed for our entire community were difficult, prolonged, and sometimes intractable. But if it brought one benefit for the OUHK, it was in drawing out a display of solidarity and support from our friends— including institutional and individual benefactors and supporters, alumni, and many other stakeholders. Their generous efforts on behalf of the University over the past 12 months and more have been instrumental in helping us ride out the storm and continue the forward momentum we need to realize our ambitious plans for the future. I thank each one of them wholeheartedly.

The global public health threat of COVID-19 reinforced the importance for all societies of having advanced healthcare facilities and appropriate healthcare training available. This is why the ongoing support we have received from many generous donors for our Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare (IOH) building has been so vital, and so welcome. We are all delighted to see the IOH now on the cusp of completion, ready to contribute to the University’s mission of cultivating talent and advancing knowledge in response to the practical needs of our society. The IOH will become the new hub of the University’s healthcare education initiatives, including hosting a brand new physiotherapy programme. It will also serve as a vibrant centre of healthcare-related research, which will be kick-started by some recent generous donations for research projects in nursing and physiotherapy.

In fact, research is an exciting new theme in our plans for the future, as we look to further expand our education profile. Building on the Government’s new Research Matching Grant Scheme, we are delighted with the response of many benefactors to our appeal for research donations. Many donors have been impressed by the University’s increasing strengths in applied research work, seen in some impressive recent achievements. One was our receipt this year of a HK$9.3 million grant for the building of a coastal wetland research centre in Shenzhen. Another was recent work coming from the OUHK’s newest research institute, the Public and Social Policy Research Centre. Its newly developed OUHK HOS (Home Ownership Scheme) Price Index is providing important and hitherto unrecognized insights into trends in Hong Kong’s subsidized housing market.

The personal welfare of our students has also been an area of concern for many of our donors, especially given the tough times of the past year. Particularly important have been recent gifts received for the setting up of student bursaries. These kinds of donations are ensuring that, no matter what the circumstances, all our students are being supported in meaningful ways during their OUHK years.

The Selection Committee on University Title, set up to consider new names for the University to reflect our current status and strategic focuses, has just passed its recommendations on to the OUHK Council for their deliberation. In total the Selection Committee has to look at over 1,100 nominations for new names— a figure that certainly suggests the level of interest that our stakeholders have taken in this retitling opportunity. I hope it will not be long now before the final decision is unveiled, and we will have a new name that truly represents who we are and who we want to be in the 21st century.

The University has deepened its relations with the mainland over recent years, with increasing numbers of talented mainland students choosing to come to Hong Kong and study at the OUHK. The Council is very excited about the latest opportunity to enrich and expand this relationship, namely the planned development of the Open University of Hong Kong (Zhaoqing). Though still in its early stages, the goal is clear — to transfer and share OUHK values, skills and teaching excellence to a parallel mainland institution, in the process fostering closer links between Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area and facilitating student exchange on the mainland.

It has indeed been a tough year, for any university. I must thank the management and staff together for their efforts in responding so well to events that were, for most of us, truly unprecedented. Their ability to identify needs quickly, adapt to necessary changes, and remain positive and committed to our broader educational mission, was inspiring for all. Special thanks are due to our President, Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong, for his work on behalf of the University not just over the past year but the entire spell of his productive tenure, which will come to a close at the end of March 2021. He has led the University in very practical ways, taking a close personal interest in the welfare of our students and staff. He has made valuable contributions in the development of the University over the past seven years. Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing, having been appointed the new President, will join the OUHK in April next year.

The world is rapidly shifting and repositioning itself to deal with many newly emerging challenges. This has offered interesting and unprecedented opportunities for the University. With the concerted efforts of the Council, the management and staff, I am confident that the OUHK is well placed to embrace these new opportunities and reach new heights in the foreseeable future.