New term for HKU chief after 'strong responses' to crises

The president and vice chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Zhang Xiang, will serve another five-year term to 2028.

Zhang's contract is not up for renewal until 2023, but HKU preempted that with an announcement yesterday.

The HKU council, after consultation with the senate, has unanimously decided to invite Zhang to stay on for another five-year term from July 2023, council chairman, Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, said in an e-mail to staff, students and alumni.

Li said the council is confident that Zhang "will successfully take the university to the next level of excellence."

He added: "Under the visionary leadership of professor Zhang in the past three years, the university has scaled new heights in furthering its core missions and has responded collectively to crises with demonstrated strength and resilience."

Li added that the university continues to excel in its research and teaching amid the pandemic.

He said many of the university's ground-breaking ventures were initiated and steered by Zhang, such as the Tech Landmark project on the Pok Fu Lam campus, the HKU-Shenzhen campus development and the global recruitment scheme to bring top talent to the university.

The Tech Landmark project, expected to be completed by mid-2024, will consist of four buildings for interdisciplinary research in science and engineering.

Zhang said through an HKU spokesman that he was deeply pleased and honored with the trust placed in him.

Born in Nanjing, the 57-year-old Chinese-American became HKU's 16th president and vice chancellor in July 2018, succeeding Peter Mathieson, who left in January 2018.

Under Zhang's leadership, HKU decided to stop collecting membership fees on behalf of its student union in April.

The student union was later asked to move out from its offices at the composite building.

It came after HKU disowned the union for "glorifying violence" by offering condolences to Leung Kin-fai, a 50-year-old man who committed suicide after attacking a police officer on July 1.

Zhang earlier also condemned the "destructive acts" in the Legislative Council building during the 2019 anti-fugitive bill movement.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com