Varsity heads must be able to handle crises, ex-Chinese University of Hong Kong council chairman stresses, says Rocky Tuan ‘lacked adequate political acumen’

The ability to handle crises, including political ones, is essential for future academic leaders, the former chairman of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s governing council has said. Norman Leung Nai-pang said Chinese University vice-chancellor and president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi might not have had good “political acumen” despite being a “world-class scholar”. Leung, 83, who served as chairman between 2016 and 2022, was speaking in an interview with the Post after Tuan announced his resignation last Monday. Tuan said planned changes to the governing council were an “opportune moment” for the university to appoint a replacement. Leung said Tuan’s successor should have good crisis management skills, in addition to being a world-class scholar with proven administrative ability. “When there is a crisis, how can we deal with it better?” he asked. Tuan is expected leave the university in January next year. Leung singled out the handling of a five-day occupation of a Chinese University bridge by protesters during the 2019 anti-government demonstrations as an example. Tuan visited the scene on the second day of the occupation, which ended three days later when protesters retreated from the campus. Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Rocky Tuan quits, cites ‘opportune’ time The head of the university should convince students to leave the campus or deal with police in such situations, Leung added. “This is why I say there is a need for good crisis management,” Leung said. Leung, who has worked in various roles in the higher education sector for 37 years and was involved in the recruitment process when Tuan was selected for the position in 2017, added that future Chinese University heads also needed to ensure that their actions and statements did not lead to “political consequences”. Tuan resigned after a months-long controversy over the overhaul of the university’s governing council, spearheaded by three legislators who were also on the body. The legislation was passed last November. Some of the biggest changes included cutting the size of the council from 55 members to 34, lowering the proportion of academic councillors and increasing the voting threshold for approving the appointment of the president, who is also vice-chancellor. Leung said Tuan was a “world-class scholar” and that he had performed well in the areas of academic study and research. He added he also fostered closer links with mainland China. But Leung said Tuan might not have had the skills to handle political problems. He highlighted an incident during the 2019 disburbances where Tuan was pressed by students to condemn alleged police brutality. One student had also alleged she was sexually assaulted while detained. Hong Kong university chiefs in hot seat as protest tensions hit campuses Leung said Tuan did not have a clear understanding of the situation when he released a statement that asked the government to investigate the incident. The move sparked accusations that Tuan was a supporter of the protest movement. Leung added, despite the incident, there were no objections when Tuan’s reappointment as vice-chancellor and president was discussed in 2022, although a trio of lawmakers on the council objected to the renewal when a vote was taken. Leung said he believed Tuan resigned because he was “unhappy” and that the sacking of secretary and university vice-president Eric Ng Shu-pui last December was likely to have affected him. New president of Hong Kong’s CUHK must get degree of independence, says ex-head Ng, who was vice-president of administration, had signed a petition against the restructuring of the council proposed by three lawmakers and was accused of sending out a meeting agenda without the chairman’s permission. But Leung said Ng had been a very good council secretary during his tenure. He added he had been supportive and cooperative and that the governing body could have handled his case much better. “They did not give any ‘face’ to the vice-chancellor and president at all, they fired [the president’s] left- or right-hand man in such a fashion. Hee would, of course, be put off,” he said. Chinese University of Hong Kong fires vice-president caught up in reforms row Leung added that during his time as chairman, he had a “very happy and harmonious” relationship with Tuan and that was likely to have been the case because of their mutual respect. He said he was only the chairman of the council, but Tuan was the head of administration. “Our roles need to be clearly separated, so everyone will naturally be very happy,” he said. The council was in charge of policy direction at the time and Tuan oversaw its execution. Chinese University head out of sight, but at the centre of storm over council reforms Leung said a priority for Tuan’s successor was the advancement of the university’s research and academic programmes. “The most important thing is that the school comes first and students come first, this is the most important thing for a university,” he said. Leung said he was confident that the recent controversies would not affect the recruitment of university heads in Hong Kong as the city’s higher education sector had a good reputation and attractive pay packages.