University of Hong Kong president Xiang Zhang already approved for second term
- The exceptionally early announcement that Zhang would stick around comes nearly two years before his current term is set to end
- The head of the university’s council credits Zhang with helping the institution scale ‘new heights’
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has revealed that president Xiang Zhang will stay on for another term stretching through 2028, announcing the extension nearly two years before his current appointment is set to end.
In a letter to staff, students and alumni on Sunday, university council chairman Arthur Li Kwok-cheung said another five-year term for Zhang had already been unanimously approved.
Li praised Zhang’s leadership over the past three years, saying he had steered the university to excellence in research and education during the coronavirus pandemic, and had pushed forward with groundbreaking new ventures in spite of challenges.
“The University has scaled new heights in furthering its core missions and has responded collectively to crises with demonstrated strength and resilience,” Li said in the letter.
“Members of the Council and I feel that there is a strong need for continuity of [the] University’s leadership, bearing in mind the challenges and developments that lie ahead.”
Zhang’s current term is not set to expire until July 2023. The last time the university announced its president’s appointment was being extended, back in 2016, it did not do so until 10 months before his term expired.
In his letter, Li did not give a reason for the early announcement, but highlighted projects initiated by Zhang that would enable the university to “achieve even greater prominence on a world class scale”. The initiatives included the Tech Landmark project on the Pok Fu Lam campus, the HKU-Shenzhen branch development, and a global professoriate recruitment scheme.