Delayed Hong Kong university appointment irks candidate recruiter
Committee member unhappy that governing body has set aside proposal
A member of a University of Hong Kong team that selected the candidate for a key managerial post expressed “dissatisfaction” yesterday that the institution’s governing body set aside their recommendation this week.
The criticism comes as members of the governing body, the HKU council, continue to debate whether there has been government interference leading to its decision to defer the appointment of a pro-vice-chancellor.
Speculation revolves around whether politics are at play to punish front runner Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun, a former law dean who is close to colleague Benny Tai Yiu-ting, co-founder of the Occupy Central movement for democracy.
The delay has also sparked concerns about management problems arising at the city’s top university, as the post, responsible for recruiting talent and allocating academic resources, will remain vacant for at least a few more months.
Yesterday, a member of the five-strong HKU search committee for the position spoke out, rejecting the council’s explanation that it wanted to fill the more senior post of provost first.
“I am not convinced by the council chairman’s view that this pro-vice-chancellor is an assistant to the provost and we should wait for the latter’s input,” the member told the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity.
“A pro-vice-chancellor is part of the senior management team and everyone there stands on his own feet.”
On Tuesday, the council voted 12-6 in a secret ballot to defer deliberations on the long-awaited appointment for which the search committee, which included HKU vice chancellor Peter Mathieson, had proposed Chan.
At the meeting, council chairman Dr Leong Che-hung said the decision was to let the future provost, to be selected next month at the earliest, “have an input” in choosing his subordinate, while Mathieson was believed to have said non-resolution over the appointment would be an “insult” to his management team.
At least four pro-establishment members spoke in favour of the deferral, while employees and students on the council were against it.
The search committee member was irked by reported comments from some council members that the post could be discontinued if the new provost found it unnecessary. “The council itself decided to [recreate] this opening last year before assigning us to hunt for a candidate. Did it mean the council did not think through the issue?”
One council member, Man Cheuk-fei, said the search committee’s decision should be respected and not overturned.
But Man dismissed suggestions of political considerations behind the deferral of Chan’s appointment, although some of the members were lawmakers or pro-establishment. “They had wanted to defer to have a better situation to discuss rather than make a hasty decision,” he said.
Chan and Tai are among educators who seek a review of the governing structure of the city’s universities, which have government-appointed members on their councils. They also want to abolish the role of chief executive as the default chancellor.
Tai said political interference such as the deferral were “allowed to happen under Leung Chun-ying”.
But council member Professor Lo Chung-mau said the council also had students and staff as representatives. “I hope outsiders will not interfere with the governing structure.”
Mathieson said last night he had extended the term of associate pro-vice-chancellor of research Paul Cheung until the end of this year so as to ensure continuity in his team, while reminding staff two other pro-vice-chancellor posts will either be filled or change hands in the next two months.