WHEN IT WAS set up in 1963, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) filled an important gap by increasing Chinese medium school graduates' access to university education and bridging Chinese and Western cultures.
The university was founded through the merger of three post-secondary colleges; New Asia College, United College and Chung Chi College. The fourth college - Shaw College - was built in 1986 with the support of philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, it is about to enter a new era, gearing up for a much bigger, regional role. Vice-chancellor Ambrose King Yeo-chee said last year that the university's goal was to become a great Asian institution, a vision echoed by vice-chancellor designate, Stanford University economist Lawrence Lau, due to take up his post in July.
Speaking at a forum with students in October, he predicted that in the long run, up to a quarter of CUHK's students would be from outside Hong Kong and an increasing number of top overseas academics would be hired to bolster its international standing.
The university will host a forum on universities in the 21st century presented by 50 university presidents from around the world on Monday and Tuesday, with an alumni homecoming weekend scheduled for July.
Over the years CUHK has produced about 70,000 graduates - including a large number of leading social figures - and has been a pioneer in many areas, including the adoption of a bilingual teaching policy. This was in contrast to the English-only University of Hong Kong (HKU), the only other university until CUHK opened.
