In February, HKUST introduced a new faculty recruitment initiative, aiming to recruit the best minds to the University while expanding female representation in the institution to give the University a broader and more all-round perspective in both academic discussion and deliberation. In the past ten years, female faculty ratio at HKUST has improved about 6%.

The appointment of Prof Nancy Ip as the new Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies (VPRG) in the last academic year signals HKUST’s determination to bring inclusion and gender diversity to its management together with excellence. Prof Ip, a world renowned neuroscientist, has gained worldwide recognition with her distinguished achievements in brain development and functions, as well as drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.

Widely Recognized Faculty Foster Academic Excellence

To laud our faculty’s achievements, the University actively seeks to increase its number of named professorships to recognize the excellence of eminent academics. The University recently appointed 15 named professors across its 4 Schools and the IAS, all of whom have gained international recognition for their research work. Among those appointed was Prof George Smoot, who became the first Nobel Laureate Faculty in HKUST as TT & WF Chao Foundation Professor.

Empowering Students to Gain Global Perspective

A high quality student pool, both from Hong Kong and around the globe, is key to HKUST’s continuous development as a top notch institution, both in academics and in the business world. Students who enroll in HKUST will not only receive a world class education in campus, but are also free to expand their horizons overseas via numerous exchange programs, scholarships, and fellowships as an undergraduate and postgraduate student. The wide array of programs include a dedicated scholarship for undergraduates to study in Belt and Road countries, a non-academic scholarship for students who excel in sports, and Post-Graduate fellowships which provide supplementary funding for PG students to attend conferences and conduct research overseas. The PG fellowship scheme has attracted aspiring researchers from 21 different countries and regions to join HKUST in 2017.

A Champion of Diversity

Since the early days of establishment, HKUST has committed to becoming a dynamic and internationalized university, powered by our core belief that a genuine diversity in cultures, demographics and values, will bring about different ideas that can broaden perspectives, inspire creativity and innovation, and better prepare students for the global society.

The Most International University in Hong Kong

HKUST has the highest proportion of international students among its local peers. Every one in four students at HKUST comes from abroad, and our international students are from an array of countries and jurisdictions. At research postgraduate level, more than a quarter of the awardees of Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2017/18 are at HKUST and they come from 21 different countries and regions including the United States, Italy, and South Africa. HKUST faculty members come from over 30 countries making the University a true cultural melting pot.

Brining Together Different Ideas

To engage its diverse student and faculty population, HKUST developed different platforms – both hardware and software, to facilitate exchange and collision of ideas. Academically, HKUST has always been a pioneer in multi-disciplinary learning, demonstrated through innovative curriculums such as the Individualized Interdisciplinary Major Program, which allows undergraduate students to tailor make their own unique cross-disciplinary learning experience. For students with innovative ideas to turn into reality solving global healthcare problems, Student Innovation for Global Health Technology (SIGHT) Scholar Scheme is the go-to platform that agglomerates students with diverse knowledge backgrounds. At postgraduate level, the MPhil Program in Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship emphasizes interdisciplinary opportunities. Students gain knowledge from business to science and technology for integrated applications that open up career prospects to innovation and technology. Students’ most ingenious ideas can also come to life through various platforms carefully cultivated by HKUST, such as the annual hackUST and HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition, which foster diverse idea exchanges to meet challenges of tomorrow.

Students Take Lead to Demonstrate Diversity

On top of university, students also initiate programs that include people from different cultures and origins. The “Be Our Guest” dinner hosting program instigated by a business student since 2016 has successfully lifted cultural barriers between local and international students through meal gatherings organized at a local student’s home. Over 115 local and non-local students have taken part in the program and shared  new and old cultural tales and perspective while enjoying local cuisine such as hotpot. TEDxHKUST, another student-driven initiative, has seen exceptional line-up of speakers from different backgrounds and experiences since 2012, who shared about their vision, passions and innovations.

Measures to Ensure Equal Grounds for Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

At HKUST, we have taken a proactive role to ensure equal opportunities for each individual in academic and student life pursuit. A new initiative “DiversAbility” was launched in 2016 to broaden the types of supporting services for integrating students with SEN. An on-campus “Welcab” service has been in place since spring 2017 for example, to assist wheelchair-bound students’ commuting around campuses in attending university-related activities. A DARE (DiversAbility, Advocacy, Resources and Equity) ambassador program is also established to enhance students’ knowledge of the needs of SEN students, and encourage them to initiate their own projects to promote SEN awareness and campus inclusion.