Dear Students,
I am very glad to welcome you to the School of Arts and Social Sciences (A&SS) here at Hong Kong Metropolitan University. We are honoured that you have chosen to join our community here.
You have joined a vibrant, diverse and growing community. A&SS is one of the fastest-growing parts of HKMU, and we teach a wide range of programmes in humanities, language, translation, social sciences, and the creative arts. The programmes attract about 2500 full-time undergraduate students, 1500 part-time undergraduate students and 500 postgraduate students – who are taught by almost 100 full-time and 100 part-time academic staff. Many of your teachers will be leading experts in their fields: A&SS is home to several leading research centres, including the Research Institute for Digital Culture and Humanities (RIDCH), the Tin Ka Ping Centre of Chinese Culture (TKPCCC), the Public and Social Policy Research Centre (PSPRC), and a research centre for Cantonese Opera.
Beginning a programme of study at university can be a very exciting but also sometimes a rather daunting time for you. There are lots of new people to meet and lots of new things to learn. University will also ask you to learn in new ways: you may find that you have a lot more freedom to learn when you want and how you want, compared to what you have been used to. The adjustment to this new environment can be something that takes a little time for many people – it certainly did for me when I was a new undergraduate. If you find the adjustment to university easy that is good; but if it takes a little time for you, please know that you are not alone, and give yourself some time to find your feet.
We all know that the world is changing very rapidly. That makes the world all the more interesting to study, but also makes it very important that we all develop the skills and resilience to adapt and flourish amidst such change. As the first designated University of Applied Sciences in Hong Kong, HKMU is ideally placed to equip students with the practical knowledge and life skills that the 21st century world demands.
I look forward to meeting you.
Professor Roger Awan-Scully (Dean of Arts and Social Sciences)
