Opinion | HKU vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson placed in tough spot by the very students he champions

The Briton came under fire when he emerged as sole candidate for the job, with some senior academics at the university raising questions about the strength of his qualifications - as a dean of medicine and dentistry at the University of Bristol - to lead the city's oldest institution of higher learning. Professor Lo Chung-mau, head of surgery and a selection committee member, described Mathieson as "ignorant and incapable" for being new to China and the region.

Since then, however, Mathieson has won over many university staff and students. After he assumed office last year, he vowed to protect academic freedom and emphasised his support for students' right to peaceful protest and free speech. He even pledged that the university would help the students who got into trouble during the Occupy protests, raising eyebrows.

On the night of October 2, swarms of young protesters, wearing masks and goggles, laid siege to the chief executive's office in Tamar, Admiralty, as the midnight deadline for Leung Chun-ying to resign drew close. Mathieson and Chinese University vice-chancellor Professor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu appeared before the crowd and urged restraint. With his polo shirt drenched in sweat, Mathieson climbed onto a ladder and urged students to "put safety first" and "avoid conflict". The tension eased after Leung agreed to a dialogue with student leaders.

Mathieson has faced a tougher test over the past few months with the controversy over the potential appointment of liberal academic Johannes Chan Man-mun as pro-vice-chancellor. On July 28, a closed-door meeting of the university council ended in chaos when students stormed the venue after learning that members were sticking to their guns in deferring Chan's appointment. Appealing to the students to leave, Mathieson said: "My primary concern here reminds me of my concerns during the Occupy protest, which is the safety of people."