HKU could get first expat vice-chancellor in more than four decades

Peter Mathieson earned praise from committee selecting new vice-chancellor and would be first expatriate to get job in over four decades

Tuesday, 01 October, 2013, 1:20am

Johnny Tam and Jeffie lam

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Professor Peter Mathieson

The University of Hong Kong may soon have its first expatriate vice-chancellor in a decade.

Professor Peter William Mathieson - currently dean of medicine and dentistry at the University of Bristol - has been recommended by an 11-member selection committee to succeed Professor Tsui Lap-chee.

Mathieson told the
Post that he was honoured and excited to be a candidate for the post.

"If I am appointed, I will do my utmost, together with the university community, to take the university to new heights," he said.

Tsui quit as head of the city's oldest university amid controversy over heavy-handed security arrangements during the visit of then Vice-Premier Li Keqiang in August 2011 that overshadowed the university's centenary celebrations.

If approved by the university council Mathieson, 54, would become the university's 15th vice-chancellor and the first non-Chinese since Professor William Ian Rees Davies, who headed the 102-year-old institution from 2000 to 2002.

Mathieson has been active in teaching and medical research with his main clinical interest lying in autoimmune renal diseases.

Dr Leong Che-hung, chairman of the selection committee, said that candidates' nationalities were never part of their considerations.

"HKU is an international university; we just want to choose the best person for the job," he said. "Mathieson has experience heading a big faculty and carrying out school reform. I am sure he could take the helm and lead HKU to the next stage."

HKU Students' Union president Laurence Tang Yat-long, another committee member, said Mathieson was the best of the candidates.

During the interview process the committee had asked Mathieson to comment on core values including freedom of speech and academic research, and members had found his answers "satisfactory", Tang said.

He hoped the new vice-chancellor would firmly defend the university's core values.

"A vice-chancellor doesn't just need academic achievement, but also great communication, management and fundraising skills," Tang said.

Tsui apologised to students and alumni at least four times after three students were detained by police during Li's visit to the Pok Fu Lam campus.

A review committee subsequently found that police used "unjustifiable" and "unreasonable" force to contain some student protesters.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as British professor may get HKU post

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Comments

****** Oct 2nd 2013
10:47pm

Professor Mathieson - any relation to Jardine Mathieson? - has the perfect name for a successful Hong Kong career. I wish him good luck, it will not be an easy job.

kitseung.lai Oct 2nd 2013
7:43am

Fantastic news to have Professor Peter William Mathieson. Welcome aboard Peter and best of luck!

jpinst Oct 1st 2013
9:47pm

Please come save our school! Too much wrong headed thinking on the part of administrators over the last decade.

mercedes2233 Oct 1st 2013
3:08pm

I hope the public and HKU students who had created such furore at the University's centenary celebrations leading to the departure of the existing Chinese national Vice-Chancellor, are happy now. It is not easy to find a Chinese national academic who is distinguished both academically and in administration, and to be able to hold the esteem of a University population and in his/her discipline internationally. Professor Mathieson may be an excellent appointee, but in the present day when HK is officially Chinese, it would have been good to have a Chinese national VC in its flagship University, as it did for the last forty years, particularly when the reason for Professor Tsui's departure was not due to a failing in his performance.

carrolljm Oct 1st 2013
5:52pm

But even the current VC is not a Chinese national.

mercedes2233 Oct 2nd 2013
2:48am

Rubbish. Professor Tsui Lap Chee is not Chinese?

cfj Oct 1st 2013
5:59pm

"Professor Mathieson may be an excellent appointee, but in the present day when HK is officially Chinese, it would have been good to have a Chinese national VC in its flagship University, as it did for the last forty years"
Do you mean "14" years ? As the above article puts it ..."If approved by the university council Mathieson, 54, would become the university's 15th vice-chancellor and the first non-Chinese since Professor William Ian Rees Davies, who headed the 102-year-old institution from 2000 to 2002.".
Of course, my maths skills are almost non-existent but I am still a Master's graduate from HKU ! And indeed, the heading IS misleading, even incorrect, perhaps.
However, I checked with Wikipedia and you clearly never read the article - not even the first sentence!

mercedes2233 Oct 2nd 2013
2:43am

I noted that the heading and sub-heading referred to 'four decades', and trusted SCMP's Maths. Four decades is 40, is it not? Not 14?
I see you prefer to split hairs over a minor point but have no problem with the main point of my entry.

cfj Oct 2nd 2013
9:47am

Well, " first non-Chinese since Professor William Ian Rees Davies, who headed the 102-year-old institution from 2000 to 2002." is getting on for 14 years, kinda! Anyway, not to split too many hairs, you do know that article titles are quite often incorrect in the SCMP these days - since they are not written by the reporters but an editor and proof-reading is a dying occupation.
I do take exception to your statement that it is necessary or desirable to have "a Chinese national VC". HK is an international city and welcomes non-Chinese who contribute significantly in the education sector. The selection process appears fair and reasonable - all candidates performed on a level playing field - why bring ethnicity into the equation ? I think you still have to prove your point.

mercedes2233 Oct 2nd 2013
12:36pm

There is no point to prove. I was expressing a personal comment. It was a good feeling when the first Chinese Vice-Chancellor Rayson Huang was appointed, followed by Profs Wang Gung Wu, Tsui Lap Chee. It was not just an appointment, but it was good to demonstrate that Chinese academics are proven eminent enough to hold such senior positions.
I have not queried the appointments process.