PolyU president says he will retire next year, amid tensions on Hong Kong campuses over independence advocacy
Timothy Tong Wai-cheung will be fourth vice-chancellor at one of city’s eight government-funded universities to step down by end of 2018
Polytechnic University president Timothy Tong Wai-cheung has announced that he will retire next year when his term ends, bringing the number of Hong Kong public universities seeing a change in leadership up to four.
That means that from December 31 this year to the same day next year, half of the government-funded universities in the city will see their vice-chancellors step down, with Chinese University being the only school that has a successor named at this point.
The announcement comes at a time of turbulence for local universities as they struggle to contain a renewed independence movement on campuses, with the new school year having begun this month.
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In an email sent to staff and students on Tuesday, Tong, 64, said he would step down when his term ended at the end of next year.
A university spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the university’s governing council would soon begin a global search to identify a suitable candidate for the post.