Message from Professor Xiang Zhang

Dear colleagues, students, alumni and friends,

I hope you are enjoying a nice summer. I am very pleased to begin my role as the 16th President and Vice-Chancellor at HKU and am looking forward to meeting the University community. It is my privilege to serve this great institution. In the coming weeks and months, I will be taking the necessary time to meet and listen to you, and I wish to work closely with you.

Let me first thank Professor Paul Tam and the Senior Management Team for their leadership and support during the transition period. Indeed, I am grateful to all colleagues who have helped HKU continue our operations and endeavours seamlessly over the past few months.

HKU has outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni who have contributed significantly to the prosperity of Hong Kong and beyond. My experience allows me to appreciate the great potential of HKU. I believe and have confidence in the University because of the many distinctive strengths of the University that I have seen, such as our unique history and culture; our excellence in teaching and learning, in research, and in knowledge exchange; the great diversity and vibrancy on campus; the dedication of our staff, students and alumni; and broad support from the community.

As you all know, in the 21st century, higher education faces tremendous challenges in preparing our students for success as future leaders in a rapidly changing world. I also see the many challenges that we may face here, such as those arising from limited resources and global competition. But there are many opportunities when we look beyond HKU and Hong Kong. I am pleased to see the recent willingness of the HKSAR Government to invest more in research, and the growing culture of educational innovation and nurturing entrepreneurship.

I envision HKU as a leading global university that not only inspires our next generation of leaders but will also lead in intellectual, economic and societal transformations in greater China, Asia and the world. For that, we must be visionary, innovative and bold. Exceptional academic scholarship is key. We must aggressively recruit and retain the best faculty members from all over the world. We need to further enrich our student learning experiences. We will continue to build strategic partnerships with top universities around the world as well as industries. Our goal can best be achieved by working closely with our diverse stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, alumni, as well as local communities and government, to build cohesive and sustained momentum and support.

I am excited about the opportunity to work with you for the best interests of HKU, and to take the University to even greater heights of excellence and impact.

I wish to assure you that I am indeed ready to listen; I welcome advice, and look forward to meeting you on campus soon.


Xiang Zhang
President and Vice-Chancellor