Press Release

HKBU announces HK$100 million donation in support of its strategic development at anniversary Founders' Day Reception

Friday, 08 Mar 2019

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) held the Founders' Day Reception today (8 March) to celebrate its 63rd birthday. At the special occasion, the University announced that Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Limited has made a generous donation pledge of HK$100 million to HKBU in support of the University's strategic development.

The annual event was jointly officiated by Mr Kurt Tong, Consul General of the United States of America to Hong Kong and Macau, and Dr Clement Chen, Chairman of the Council and the Court of HKBU. More than 300 guests gathered at the celebration, revisiting HKBU's achievements and learning about its latest developments. In recognition of HKBU alumni's achievements, four Distinguished Alumni Awards were also presented.

An agreement signing ceremony for the donation of the Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund was held at the Reception, officiated by Ms Cheung Man-yee, Vice Chairman of the Fund, and Professor Roland Chin, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU. The donation to the University will help support the implementation of its Institutional Strategic Plan 2018-2028; the Talent 100 scheme, which aims to recruit a hundred academic talents around the globe; and the construction of the new student hostel and academic building complex on Renfrew Road.

In his address, Dr Clement Chen thanked the audience for their support and spoke about how it has led to the University's many accomplishments. He gave an overview of HKBU's great many endeavours over the past few years, and re-emphasised the Institutional Strategic Plan 2018-2028, which sets out how the University can become a leading liberal arts university in Asia for the world delivering academic excellence in a caring, creative, and global culture.

Dr Chen also highlighted an array of future HKBU plans, including the launch of a number of new undergraduate programmes, as well as the campus development project, which aims to provide a spacious learning and teaching environment to the HKBU community.

In his speech, Mr Tong wished HKBU a happy birthday and spoke about the strong connections between HKBU, the US, and the Baptist Mission, which first arrived in Hong Kong in 1842. In particular, he praised HKBU's standing and its international orientation and outlook.

He also spoke about the importance of international exchange and the Fulbright-RGC Hong Kong Research Scholar Award Program, which has supported nine academics and scholars from HKBU to travel to the US for research and teaching, as well as welcoming more than two dozen American professors and researchers in return.

In his vote of thanks, Professor Roland Chin expressed his gratitude to those who have aided HKBU and enabled its achievements. He specially thanked the Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund for its generous support and Mr Kurt Tong for his speech. He also congratulated the four recipients of this year's Distinguished Alumni Award, they are: popular Hong Kong writer Ms Amy Cheung Siu-han (Communication), renowned movie director and screenwriter Mr Felix Chong Man-keung (Communication – Film/Video), former Rector of the University of Macau Professor Iu Vai-pan (Civil Engineering) and famous banker Dr Cartier Lam Chi-man (Geography), adding that he took pride in their achievements.

For a brief introduction about the awardees, please visit:
https://www.hkbu.edu.hk/en/whats-new/press-release/2019/0130-hkbu-to-present-distinguished-alumni-award-to-amy-cheung,-felix-chong,-iu-vai-pan-and-cartier-lam.html

For media enquiries, please contact Tina Ng of HKBU Communication and Public Relations