Hong Kong model for appointing chancellor not followed in Britain, says University of Kent vice-chancellor
Julia Goodfellow says British universities appoint their own chancellors and council members, which is different from the Hong Kong system where the chief executive automatically becomes chancellor
Britain does not follow the Hong Kong model where the chief executive automatically becomes chancellor of the eight publicly funded institutions, according to the vice-chancellor of the University of Kent.
Hong Kong’s leader also has the power to appoint a proportion of governing council members, ranging from 12 to 76 per cent. The system has come in for criticism for potentially opening the door to political influence.
Lack of control hampers Hong Kong university councils in key areas, report says
The vice-chancellor, Julia Goodfellow, said UK universities appointed chancellors on their own and the title was only ceremonial.
But Goodfellow, who is also president of advocacy group Universities UK, said no one governance system could fit all universities around the world.
“Hong Kong universities are incredibly strong institutions,” said Goodfellow in an interview with the Post during a visit to Hong Kong. “If you look at universities around the world, there is an enormous variety of governance models. So I think it’s very hard to say what governance model leads to successful universities.”
She said universities in Britain reviewed their governance systems every five years and chose their own chancellors and council members.
Goodfellow, while saying she did not know enough about the situation in Hong Kong to offer comments, said chancellors in the UK had no real power.