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Cynthia Wan

Gary Cheung

HONG KONG University vice-chancellor Professor Cheng Yiu-chung, at the centre of a storm over an opinion poll controversy, has been urged to explain why a senior academic has been given an 'exceptional' nine-year contract.

Pro-vice chancellor Professor Felix Wu Fuli - responsible for research affairs - had his contract renewed earlier this year.

His original term is due to expire next March. The 56-year-old academic will be 65 when the new nine-year contract expires.

Contract staff at Hong Kong universities are usually given three-year contracts.

Professor Chan Chi-wai, chairman of the university's Academic Staff Association, said Professor Wu's contract was 'unusually long' and unprecedented.

'It will raise tremendous staff morale problems,' Professor Chan said.

A university spokeswoman said while no one else on campus had a nine-year contract, Professor Wu's was not the longest. 'It's not very special,' she said.

She was unable to say what the longest contract was or how many people had deals of more than nine years, but said 205 people, about 20 per cent of teaching staff, had contracts of three years or more.

The University of Hong Kong also offers staff 'rolling contracts', which encompass a mid-term review, for five or six years when their first contract expires.

University heads' contracts are usually for five years.

'Contract staff are required to go through stringent assessments before their contracts are renewed. A nine-year contract avoids all the problems facing other contract staff,' Professor Chan said .

In the 1998-99 academic year, 20 per cent of university staff were employed on contracts and there were 35 cases of non-renewal of contracts.

Professor Wu, previously a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, joined the academic staff five years ago. He was later promoted to pro-vice-chancellor by vice-chancellor Professor Cheng and also holds the post of chair professor of electrical engineering.

A senior administrator of a local university, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said nine-year contracts were quite unusual but in some exceptional cases a university might provide better terms to retain outstanding staff.

According to Hong Kong University's research and scholarship yearbooks, Professor Wu has written two conference papers and obtained a research grant from the Research Grant Council in the 1997-98 academic year.

In a letter to the staff association, the university's staffing section reiterated that the appointment was dealt with in 'strict accordance with the current fixed-term contract renewal procedures wherein a lengthier contract of at least four years can be offered'.

'Departments are in fact generally encouraged to consider the offer of lengthier contracts to enhance job security as well as university performance,' the staffing section said.

Professor Chan said the policy was not generally known to staff.

Professor Wu did not return calls yesterday.

Cheung Man-kwong, the former legislator representing educators, said the nine-year contract was 'unusually long' and unfair to other university staff.

'The university's explanation is unsatisfactory,' Mr Cheung said.



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