Class acts

STEPHEN IP SHU-KWAN was quite the hedonist in his student days at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Having fun was a priority for the current Secretary for Economic Development and Labour.

'My three years at HKU were my most free and open,' Ip says, sitting in his capacious office in Government Building, Central. 'You were your own master; when you enter the workforce, you no longer have control of your own life.'

Ip, 50, isn't the only HKU alumnus working close to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. Eight of the 11 policy secretaries appointed by Tung in July graduated from Hong Kong's first university, according to Growing With Hong Kong, The University And Its Graduates, a book published last month to mark HKU's 90th anniversary. Filled with photos and anecdotes, the hefty tome gives an insight into the personalities who shaped, or are shaping, Hong Kong. It also hints at allegiances made during those formative years.

Of the ministers who graduated from HKU, four did so in the same year. Antony Leung Kam-chung (Financial Secretary), Frederick Ma Si-hang (Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury), Sarah Liao Sau-tung (Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works) and Ip received their Bachelor's degrees in 1973.

What's it like working with former classmates? 'It makes it easier,' Ip says. 'You don't have to spend time getting to know one another's personalities and working styles.' Any disadvantages? 'No,' Ip says. 'You look at the issues at hand, not the people.'

Graduating with a second-class honours degree in economics and psychology, Ip has happy memories of his student days. He remembers spending time relaxing with friends, attending social gatherings, and dating - he met his wife Nancy at university.