At the beginning of the new semester, I would like to wish our colleagues, a relaxing, prosperous, and a lucky 2013. May all the joy of the Chinese New Year remain with you throughout the coming year!
President Ng Ching-Fai (left) with DBM's teachers, Mr. Man-Bun Wong (middle) and Dr. Raymond Ho (right), at the Celebration Ceremony for the national Accounting Qualification Programme Case Analysis Competition 2012. The competition is organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
We will be celebrating UIC's eighth anniversary in 2013. It is a crucial as well as a challenging year as we will embark on four key projects to advance the college's further development:
A NEW CAMPUS
In order to solve the current space shortage problem at UIC, the Zhuhai Municipal Government has promised to grant UIC a piece of land near Huitong village for the construction of a new campus. We hope that the planning and design of the new campus will commence this year. The new campus is scheduled to come into operation in 2016 and will accommodate 6,000 undergraduate and 2,000 postgraduate students.
NEW SCHEME TO ADMIT GUANGDONG STUDENTS
With the support of the Department of Education and the Education Examinations Authority of Guangdong Province, UIC will adopt a new scheme under its admission policy for students from Guangdong Province.
Along with enrolling students with first and second class scores that are earned from the National College Entrance Examination (or commonly known as "Gaokao"), a comprehensive evaluation will be independently conducted by UIC to decide which of the applicants from Guangdong meet the admission requirements. This approach also offers students an alternative way of choosing their tertiary studies.
In this regard, the College needs your assistance and support to promote the new policy.
CURRICULUM REVIEW
Since last year the Hong Kong Baptist University has undertaken a four-year undergraduate curriculum. In view of the requirement for UIC to strictly follow HKBU's quality assurance mechanism, our curriculum structure also needs to be adjusted accordingly.
Starting from 2014 academic year, the total credits of a four-year programme for a Bachelor's degree will be reduced, and the general education courses will be further optimized, giving students much more freedom in choosing subjects.
This year, all degree programmes are being revised. After the approval of the UIC Senate, the revised programme will be submitted to the HKBU Senate for re-accreditation.
Therefore, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all colleagues for your hard work in making the curriculum review a success.
COOPERATING WITH HENGQIN AND THE CITY
Last year, UIC signed a number of cooperation agreements with the Hengqin New Area as well as with the Zhuhai Municipal Government. We need to implement viable projects as soon as possible and maximize our manpower for the collaborations by bringing in Hong Kong and international talent and professionals to aid the development of the city.
Several joint universities were set up in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta in 2012, which will undoubtedly bring greater competitive pressure on UIC. The New Year is therefore certainly a year of challenges along with opportunities.
These four highlights require UIC to input more manpower, financial and material capabilities and better management.
In 2013, let us work together to draw the blueprint for UIC's new and exciting development.
Prof. Ng Ching-Fai
President
(from UIC Beacon Issue I)
