April 2012
The University celebrated its Sixth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships on April 20, 2012. At the ceremony, twelve new Endowed Professorships were established. In addition, three successive appointments to existing Endowed Professorships were presented. Since 2005, a total of 66 Endowed Professorships, including 3 Distinguished Visiting Professorship Schemes, have been established.
Endowed Professorships at HKU are created to provide perpetual support to areas of academic excellence. With a close partnership between academe and generous philanthropists, Endowed Professorships represent a promise to scale new levels of commitment to society and to humankind.
“The Town-gown Partnership is vital for the sustainability of any advanced economy such as Hong Kong. No world economy can succeed without a vibrant tertiary sector. Increasingly public-private partnerships in tertiary sector education are what lend that vibrancy and sustainability. The Endowed Professorships at HKU are an important manifestation of this concept,” said Dr Raymond K F Ch’ien, Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Vice-Chancellor on Endowed Professorships.
The founding of the University itself was also only made possible through the generous donations of many individuals and corporations. In 1919, the Taikoo Professorship of Engineering was established as the first named chair at the University. This initiated a legacy of excellence through the establishment of other professorships over the years.
More about the Endowed Professorships Scheme