2001 will mark the 90th Anniversary of the University of Hong Kong. It is also virtually the 90th anniversary of higher education in Hong Kong.Alumni and others on campus who have pondered on the Anniversary tend to concur that the celebration should also be a juncture for reflection.
We will seek the participation of the largest University community: students, staff, alumni, Court and Council and the community-at-large, as well as the global community. The activities will highlight the role of HKU as the University of Hong Kong in the changed economy and society. This is an important juncture for soul-searching, such that the University will excel beyond its achievements in research and teaching, and become a place committed to genuine higher learning. We will make a mark in the HKU's history and indeed the history of higher education of Hong Kong.
The idea of a University of Hong Kong was born in a 1905 newspaper article. The writer was the managing editor of the China Mail, Australian W H Donald, an avid Empire man who along with others wanted to counter what had until then been the all-prevailing attraction of education in Japan to Chinese citizens.
That seed of an idea had to wait for its germination upon the arrival in the territory of a new governor in the person of Sir Frederick Lugard in 1907. He too became enthusiastic about a western-style university. Thus the stage was set for the eventual birth of what was to become the territoryÕs oldest and most prestigious seat of higher learning Ð the University of Hong Kong of today.
A Hong Kong College of Medicine had earlier been established in 1887, with Dr Sun Yat-sen as one of its first graduates in 1892. A decision was eventually made to incorporate the College into the proposed new University. With a donation offered towards the building costs by Sir Hormusjee Mody, the Main Building, houses for the principal and professors, plus a gate lodge were to be built.
Sir Frederick Lugard finally laid the foundation stone in 1910 with an appropriately gleaming golden trowel, which is still in possession of the University. The eventual opening - with just 54 students, a skeleton staff and little money or equipment - took place on March 11, 1912.
| The Early Days
1887-1910 The University of Hong Kong evolved from the Hong Kong College of Medicine, founded in 1887. The University was officially established on March 16, 1910 when the then-Governor, Sir Frederick Lugard, laid the foundation stone. 1911 One year later the University celebrated its official opening together with its two founding Faculties of Engineering and Medicine.1913 The Faculty of Arts was established. It is still located in the Main Building, the oldest building on the University's main estates. 1916 In December 1916 the University held its first Congregation with 28 graduates. 1939 Basic science subjects had been taught at the University since 1912 but the Faculty of Science was not formally launched until 1939.
|
| War Time
1941-1945 The life of the University was interrupted by the Japanese occupation. Loke Yew Hall was burned. Though physically non-existent, the idea of the University persisted. Either imprisoned or escaped, mainly to China, the students and faculty helped to capture something of the those challenging times that eventually led to the reestablishing of the University. By 1948 the University of Hong Kong was operating normally again and the phoenix had risen from the ashes of war.
|
| Post War
1956 The University extended its activities to serve the adult community of Hong Kong through the Department of Extramural Studies. In 1992 this became the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE), the largest tertiary institution of continuing education in the territory.1961 The University celebrated its Golden Jubilee with more than 2,000 students. 1967 The Faculty of Social Sciences was launched. 1969 The Faculty of Law was established.1978 The School of Architecture was established. This grew steadily to become the Faculty of Architecture in 1984. 1982 The Faculty of Dentistry, based at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, was officially launched.1984 The School of Education evolved into a full-fledged Faculty. 1997 The University began a major restructuring of its curriculum to incorporate problem-based learning and cross-cultural activity.
|
| Into the 21st Century...
2000 There are about 9,278 undergraduate students, 4908 graduate students and 647 international students in the 1999-2000 school year, as well as 1,006 full-time teaching staff, 211 part-time teaching staff and 2,490 full-time supporting staff. 2001 The School of Business and the School of Economics and Finance merged to form the Faculty of Business and and Finance merged to form the Faculty of Business and Economics.
|
Sources: "Quick Facts, The University of Hong Kong"; "Interflow, 80th Anniversary Issue, 1982"; "The University of Hong Kong, An Informal History" by Bernard Mellor and "Dispersal and Renewal, Hong Kong University During the War Years" edited by Clifford Matthews and Oswald Cheung.