Prof. Ambrose King, renowned sociologist and pro-vice-chancellor of the University from October 1989 to July 2002, had planned on entering a new and perhaps more tranquil stage in his life after spending over three rich and fruitful decades at The Chinese University when a rather weighty and unexpected responsibility fell upon his shoulders. He was handed the reins of vice-chancellorship by the University Council to take the place of Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, the former vice-chancellor and now Secretary of Education and Manpower of the HKSAR.
The appointment would not affect his retirement plans too much, says Prof. King, even if they have to wait until a new vice-chancellor is found for the University. And although he takes his hat off to all his predecessors who have served the University in that capacity, he himself has never aspired to be vice-chancellor, as the onerous duties of the job would not leave him, or anyone for that matter, much time for what lies closer to his heart: research and teaching. He fully understands, however, that the University needs a vice-chancellor during the interim period, and he deeply appreciates the trust and confidence the University Council has shown in him. 'I realize my responsibility is heavy (任重), but my way (道) is not that long (遠),' Prof. King quips.
Perhaps because of his close involvement in high-level policy-making as pro-vice-chancellor over the last 13 years, the new appointment does not seem to have exerted on him the same emotional impact as that he experienced when he was made head of New Asia College a quarter of a century ago by the then vice-chancellor, Dr. C.M. Li. 'I was much younger then, and those were very trying times for the collegiate system,' he recalls. Basically he sees his role during the interim period very much the same as any other vice-chancellor. Matters and projects which have been started and planned will continue, and things that should be done will be done. 'It is only when it comes to new, major initiatives that I would have more reservation, as I must include the next vice-chancellor in my considerations,' he remarks.
One of his major preoccupations will be to continue with efforts to maintain research and teaching quality. The Sutherland Report of the UGC's Higher Education Review recommends that a small number of universities should be strategically identified as the focus of funding support, with the explicit intention of creating institutions that can compete at the highest international levels. To justify its claim to be a research university deserving of such support, the University not only has to monitor the research performance of teachers but also to ensure sufficient funding for important research projects. 'Certain projects cannot wait for the next vice-chancellor's approval to commence. They have to start now or there'll be regrets,' says Prof. King. He also points out that the percentage of postgraduate research students in the entire student population has to be reviewed. The University's hands will be tied if mechanisms governing the recruitment of research students remain unchanged.
But in the last inning, it is teaching, he says, that should be a university's primary mission. 'The most valuable fruits of our labour,' he remarks, 'are our students and what they make of what they have learnt at this university. Research is important but 20 years down the line, a university that is only good at research has a very limited future. We must therefore train our students well, and to do that, we need good teachers. And a teacher is good only when he is good at both research and teaching.' The recruitment of the best possible teachers is thus one of his foremost concerns.
There are four other issues that weigh heavily on Prof. King's mind.
The first is the establishment of a law school at CUHK. Prof. King intends to submit the proposal in the University's Academic Development Plans for the triennium 2004-7. 'I think it was a big mistake of the UGC to turn down our proposal more than a decade ago. No comprehensive university can do without a law school. Modern society cannot function without legal expertise, and Hong Kong has to rely on its own universities to nurture quality legal expertise,' he says. He also points out that all of the University's professional schools --- business administration, medicine, and engineering --- have fared extremely well. There is no reason why its law school should not be another success.
A second matter in which Prof. King would like to engage the thoughts of members of the University is the extension of the undergraduate curriculum from three to four years. Now that the worth of the system is recognized by the government, its implementation is put on hold only because of the lack of resources. Under such circumstances, how eagerly do we want it and in what form? Will its implementation be across-the-board or limited? Both the curriculum and the way it is delivered and assessed need careful rethinking. Prof. King believes it is time for the University to devise more concrete plans to turn the four-year system into a reality by phases.
In anticipation of the government's new policy objectives and funding strategies in relation to higher education, the University also needs to overhaul its governance system to cope with challenges in the new context. The matter can't wait until the arrival of the next vice-chancellor, says Prof. King. As the University has begun its review early, even before the formal release of the Sutherland Report, ideas are already taking shape and solid plans are expected to emerge within a year's time. Implementing them, however, will take some time.
Then there is the talk in the press about the possibility of a merger between CUHK and HKUST. About it Prof. King has this to say: 'Let's not forget that integration has been a unique feature of the University's founding and development. We are always open-minded about it. With the forces of globalization operating on us in almost every aspect of life, we may well start thinking about integrating with other institutions to acquire the size and the critical mass to become a truly world-class university.' According to him, this is one way for local universities to revitalize themselves to achieve world-class status. 'Of course, it involves issues of quantity and quality and will only be possible if the integration benefits both parties, resulting in a win-win situation. But I don't see why we should refrain from considering the possibility. The Chinese University will certainly not go for it passively. I would like to involve parties concerned in the University to actively think about the pros and cons, to consider the feasibility in both the near and distant future,' he says.
Being a sociologist who has been with the University for over three decades, Prof. King believes that the right man to head this academic institution in the new century should be someone with deep respect for learning and knowledge, someone who believes not only in the value of the sciences and technology but equally in that of the arts and humanities. Among the educators he admires are Mr. Cai Yuan-pei, China's leading liberal educator of the early 20th century and former president of Peking University, and Dr. Clark Kerr, a sociologist and former chancellor of U.C. Berkeley who, in Prof. King's words, has turned Berkeley into the Harvard of the West Coast. 'The University should aspire not just after a world-class status but also to be a 'great university'. To be one, it should never forget the importance of the humanities,' says Prof. King. 'Many universities such as Peking University have had great impact on the cultural and intellectual life of the Chinese society mainly because of their contribution to the humanities. Science is more important now than ever of course, simply because it couldn't have been otherwise.'
The ideal candidate must also have both international perspective as well as local commitment. 'Any university worth its name must be international in nature,' says Prof. King, 'as a university is always situated in a global academic community. But globalization also makes having a local identity all the more important.'
As the university is a complex organization, the person running it should have a high level of managerial competence, although Prof. King concedes that certain practices in the commercial sector may have given 'management' negative connotations. He explains that by good management, he is not referring to what he calls a 'cheap authoritarian style' or a 'cheap democratic style', but a thorough understanding of how the organization operates and the ability to lead it.
Although many heads of significant universities are famous academicians or respected authorities in their own field, fame and profile as qualities of a vice-chancellor are sweet but not necessarily of first importance, Prof. King believes. 'We are not looking for a superman, just a good individual who possesses the kinds of qualities I have mentioned. A job can make a person great too, not only the other way round,' he says.
Similarly a great university should be able to bring out the best qualities in its students --- intellectually and morally. Perhaps that is why despite his view that such acts were 'extremely tasteless' interpretations of prank culture, Prof. King is not intent on punishing the new entrants who shouted vulgar slogans at the recent orientation camp. Punishment is easy, he says, but the large issue is how to cultivate taste. He points out that the cultural paradigm of scientific knowledge in modern society has led to the marginalization of ethical or moral education in the tertiary education sector. Given this and the indulgence in sensationalism of Hong Kong's media culture, there is an impending need to cultivate taste and a new set of cultural values in university students. In this respect, he particularly appreciates Mr. Cai Yuan-pei who believed that a good deed is something pleasant and of good taste, and that aesthetic education can encourage development of more sublime emotions and elimination of baser ones. 'People may hold different ideas on what is moral or immoral; issues such as relativism come into the argument. But judgment of beauty or the lack of it falls into the realm of aesthetics. I do think aesthetic education can help turn what is ugly and tasteless into something decent and beautiful,' he concludes.
Prof. King is confident that the University will find an excellent new vice-chancellor in time. But in the coming year, he has much on his plate and he hopes members of the University will work as a team to support him. And for the time being, playing with his grandson and musing on passing clouds may just have to take a backseat.
CUHK Newsletter, 208, 4th October 2002