Press Release

HKBU to confer honorary doctoral degrees upon four distinguished persons

Wednesday, 21 Oct 2020

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will confer honorary doctoral degrees upon four distinguished persons for their outstanding professional achievements and remarkable contributions to society.

Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Professor Ng Ching-fai and Dr Harry H Y Shum will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. Mr Raymond R Wong will be bestowed the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa.

Professor Dame Wendy Hall (Doctor of Science, honoris causa)

Professor Dame Wendy Hall is a leading scholar in computer science. She is currently the Regius Professor of Computer Science, Associate Vice President (International Engagement), and an Executive Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton in the UK. Her present and past roles also include a Fellow of the Royal Society, Senior Vice President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, onetime member of the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, founding member of the European Research Council, Chair of the Information Society Technologies Advisory Group (ISTAG) of the European Commission, member of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Digital Economy and Society.

Professor Hall’s scholarly career has been notable for its pioneering work in the formation of web-based systems architecture and its applications. She was the co-chair and key formulator of the British government’s Artificial Intelligence Review published in October 2017, which she refers to as the country’s “AI roadmap”. This work has greatly influenced the ensuing national conversation around a comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy and policy framework, and succinctly captured the necessity for achieving consensus when addressing pressing and impactful social issues arising with the broader use and implementation of AI.

Professor Ng Ching-fai (Doctor of Science, honoris causa)

Professor Ng Ching-fai is a superlative educator and humanist as well as a scholar of the highest order, who excels in public and political service. He joined the then Hong Kong Baptist College in 1985 as Head of the Department of Chemistry and was later Dean of Science. He played a key role in the College’s transition to university status in 1994, and in 2001 became President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU.

Under Professor Ng’s leadership, a remarkable array of talents were attracted to HKBU. His encouragement helped to bring about the formation of HKBU’s first Chinese Medicine programme in 1998; the one and only programme in Pharmacy in Chinese Medicine in 2001; the first BA/BEd double degree programme in 2005; Hong Kong’s first Academy of Visual Arts in 2004; and the territory’s first and only Academy of Film in 2009. In 2005, he became the Founding President of the Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), the first full-scale cooperation in higher education between mainland China and Hong Kong. Establishment of UIC is a remarkable pioneering endeavour, providing the valuable experience for the recent profound interest on deep educational collaboration between a Mainland and a Hong Kong tertiary institution in the Greater Bay Area.

Professor Ng has also assumed an extraordinary range of public responsibilities. In 1997, he became a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council and a Deputy to the PRC National People’s Congress. He served on the Council of Advisors on Innovation and Technology, the ICAC Complaints Committee, the HKSAR Election Committee, and as a Director of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

Dr Harry H Y Shum (Doctor of Science, honoris causa)

Dr Harry H Y Shum is a distinguished computer scientist and a successful business leader who has applied the fruits of his research to technological applications that help people work and live better.

Dr Shum started his career at Microsoft, working there for 23 years as a researcher, becoming a founding member of Microsoft Research China (later renamed Microsoft Research Asia) in 1999 and head of the laboratory in 2004. In 2007, he was appointed Corporate Vice President in charge of developing the search engine Bing. In 2013, he was promoted to be Executive Vice President responsible for technology and research. Under his leadership, Microsoft launched the social chatbot XiaoIce in China in 2014. In July 2020, Microsoft spun off its XiaoIce business and put Dr Shum in charge as chairman.

Dr Shum has so far published more than 200 research papers and is the holder of more than 100 patents. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA, and an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK. He is a member of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development.

Mr Raymond R Wong (Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)

Mr Raymond R Wong is known as the “Godfather” of Hong Kong journalism. His contributions to Hong Kong’s journalism industry, as well as journalism education, have been widely recognised. In particular, he was the missing link between intellect and journalism, and his pioneering work enabled newsrooms in Hong Kong to be filled with college-educated professionals.

Mr Wong began his career as a reporter in the US. Upon his return to Hong Kong in 1968 he worked for an English-language newspaper, and he also taught as a guest lecturer at the then Hong Kong Baptist College. In 1974, he became Head of the Department of Communication. Over the years, many of his graduates have become leaders in the journalism and communication industry in Hong Kong, Greater China and other areas. In 1976, Mr Wong joined Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). He took up the role of News Controller, and he subsequently became the Assistant General Manager of the company.

Mr Wong’s contributions to journalism education earned him an Honorary University Fellowship from HKBU in 2008 and an Honorary Professorship at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong. He was also a consultant professor at the School of Journalism at Fudan University in Shanghai.

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