Uphold academic freedom in resolving row over appointment, urge all 10 HKU deans
In a rare appeal amid the delayed appointment of Johannes Chan, they also express 'dismay' at students who stormed council meeting
All 10 deans of the University of Hong Kong issued a rare joint statement yesterday, calling for an adherence to the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy in resolving the row over a controversially delayed managerial appointment.
They also expressed "dismay" at students who stormed a university council meeting on Tuesday and asked "all parties to put the interest of the university first" as they seek a consensus.
The statement came hours after HKU student leader Billy Fung Jing-en warned his union would not rule out a repeat of their action when the governing body met again, if that was needed "to block decisions that hurt the institution".
Fung told the Post the union would not change its mind in the light of the appeal by the deans.
"[The union] is accountable to the students, and when students discuss with us about our next actions, they would have [considered] the deans' remarks," he said.
A group of HKU students swept into the council's meeting room after members voted down a motion to stop delaying the appointment of a pro-vice-chancellor. Former law dean Johannes Chan Man-mun was tipped to take up the job, but pro-Beijing newspapers have criticised him for his working relationship with HKU law professor and Occupy co-founder Benny Tai Yiu-ting.
Students were concerned that the university's academic freedom was being compromised, but HKU's vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Mathieson, reprimanded students for disrupting the meeting.