Message from Pro-Chancellor

Education changes life. The OUHK caters to all who desire a university education. This noble mission is unique among all universities in Hong Kong and has been our source of inspiration and strength for the last 27 years. Our 9,000 full-time face-to-face students and 10,000 part-time distance learning students are a living testimony to the growth of Hong Kong as a knowledge economy and also to the growth of the OUHK as a cradle of knowledge. This mission has been made possible due to the leadership of our Council and the University management, as well as the dedicated service of faculty and staff and the hard work of our students.

Along the road towards achieving the mission, the OUHK has been blessed with strong support from the community, the industry and business sectors, and the Government. We are greatly indebted to all our friends and supporters who share our belief in education.

Having served the OUHK as Council Chairman for two terms and then as Pro-Chancellor since 2013, I am gratified to see how the OUHK has evolved from an open-learning institution to become a reputable university it is today. Operating under a self-financing model is a major challenge but it does have its silver lining, as it drives us to offer academic programmes that our community needs and to deliver them with maximum flexibility that meets our students’ needs.

Our some 220 programmes, from associate to doctoral degrees, cater for high school graduates and mature learners alike. As a pioneer of mixed-mode and blended learning, we harness the power of modern technology to enrich our distance learning students’ experience. They can learn anytime, anywhere, and at any pace of their choice. At the OUHK, learning is as delightful as it is fruitful.

Beyond teaching, the OUHK has recently established several research institutes that undertake projects in collaboration with industry partners. This enables faculty and students to study and define practical solutions to complex problems we face as a society — in sustainable development, water and air pollution, and solid waste treatment — among other issues.

Looking forward, I can see the OUHK playing an increasingly important role in the provision of higher education in Hong Kong. For this, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Council Chairman Dr Eddy C Fong who retired in mid-June after 13 years of service in the Council. We are most fortunate to have another distinguished member of the community, Mr Michael Wong, to succeed Dr Fong as Council Chairman during this exciting period when the OUHK is all set to help Hong Kong meet the talent needs of a knowledge economy.

Dr Charles Lee
Pro-Chancellor
June 2016