Media

HKU to award four honorary degrees (Press Invitation)

03 Mar 2005

 

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will be conferring honorary degrees upon four outstanding individuals at the 171st Congregation at 5:30pm on March 18, 2005, at Loke Yew Hall, the University of Hong Kong.

The honorary degree recipients are:

Doctor of Laws honoris causa
- Sir Anthony Mason, Non-permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and former Chief Justice of Australia
- Dr the Honourable Donald Tsang Yam Kuen, Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Doctor of Science honoris causa
- Professor Chen Zhu, Vice President, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa
- Dr Charles Lee Yeh Kwong, Chairperson of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited

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Sir Anthony Mason is one of the most well known jurists in the common law world.

He served on the High Court of Australia for 23 years, with the final eight years (1987 to 1995) as Chief Justice. The Mason Court was a period characterised by a series of landmark decisions and broad changes in the approach taken by the Court.

Sir Anthony was one of the first non-permanent judges of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. He has been involved in many of the constitutional cases involving Hong Kong's Basic Law, and is instrumental in the process of realizing the principle of "one country, two systems".

Sir Anthony was honoured with a CBE in 1969, a KBE in 1972, and an AC in 1988. In recognition of his contributions to the law and to the academia, HKU will confer on him the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa.

Dr the Honourable Donald Tsang Yam Kuen is the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG). He is the leading Principal Official, supporting the Chief Executive in administering Hong Kong. He is also a Member of the Executive Council, the highest policy-making body in Hong Kong.

Dr Tsang joined the Civil Service in January 1967. In 1995, Dr Tsang was appointed Financial Secretary of the Government of Hong Kong, the first Chinese to hold the position in the territory's history. In 2001, he became Chief Secretary of the HKSARG.

In June 2002, he was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal by the HKSARG. In recognition of his contributions to the community of Hong Kong, HKU will confer on him the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa.

Professor Chen Zhu is the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Chinese Human Genome Centre in Shanghai and Director of the Shanghai Institute of Hematology.

His work is recognised and acclaimed around the world as being at the forefront of genomic research, particularly in the advancement of molecular target-based therapy on human cancers.

In 1997, Professor Chen was the first non-French winner of the "Prix de l'Oise" by "La Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer" of France, and in 2002, he was named “Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur" by the French government. In recognition of his contributions to the frontiers of science, HKU will confer on him the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa.

Dr Charles Lee Yeh Kwong is the Chairperson of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority and the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Limited. He is also co-founder of Woo Kwan Lee & Lo, one of Hong Kong's leading solicitors' firms.

During his tenure as Chairman of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, Dr Lee initiated a series of reforms that would modernise the stock exchange's operations, attract listings from Mainland enterprises, and also reinforce Hong Kong's position as an international finance centre.

In 1998, Dr Lee was appointed by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to coordinate the formation of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority.

Dr Lee was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1993, and awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star in 2002. In recognition of his contribution to the community of Hong Kong, HKU will confer on him the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa.

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For enquiries, please contact Ms Polo Leung, External Relations Office, the University of Hong Kong, Tel: 2859-2600.