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Dr the Honourable David K.P.Li, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), will confer honorary degrees upon seven outstanding individuals at the 184th Congregation on March 22, 2011 (Tuesday) at 5:30 pm in Loke Yew Hall, HKU.

Honorary Degrees are awarded to individuals in recognition of their distinguished service and commitment to the University, the community, and to academia.  They are also conferred to those who have made valuable intellectual, social and cultural contributions to society and the world.

The honorary degree recipients are:

Doctor of Laws honoris causa
The Hon Mr Justice Patrick Siu Oi CHAN

Doctor of Science honoris causa
Professor Sir Charles Kuen KAO
Professor John Chi Yan LEONG

Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa
Dr John Cho Chak CHAN
Mr Christopher Wai Chee CHENG
Mr Jack Chak Kwong SO
Dr Ka Ping TIN

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Brief biography

Patrick Siu Oi CHAN
Mr Justice Patrick Chan Siu Oi is one of the three Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong SAR. He obtained both his LLB and PCLL from HKU, and served as a District Court judge from 1987-1991, Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court from 1991-1992, and Judge of the High Court from 1992-1997. In 1997, Mr Justice Chan was the first HKU law graduate to be appointed Chief Judge of the High Court. He was appointed Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal in 2000. Mr Justice Chan has made important contributions to the implementation of a bilingual court system in Hong Kong.  He has been deeply involved in legal education and has also worked closely with the University's Law Faculty, supporting its development and providing opportunities for students to better understand the discipline. He has served on many HKU committees, including the University's Council from 2000-2009, and was awarded an Honorary University Fellowship in 2003. He received an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from the City University of Hong Kong in 2008.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Mr Justice Patrick Chan Siu Oi the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa.

Charles Kuen KAO
Professor Sir Charles Kao Kuen is internationally renowned as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics' and a Nobel Laureate in Physics. Sir Charles graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of London in 1957, and then worked as an engineer for Standard Telephones and Cables, and its research centre, Standard Telecommunications Laboratories (STL). He was conferred a PhD in Electrical Engineering by the University of London in 1965. While working at STL in England, he began his pioneering work in the realisation of fiber optics as a telecommunications medium. Sir Charles has served as Corporate Director of Research at the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, and was its first Executive Scientist. Sir Charles taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1970 -1974, and was its Vice-Chancellor from 1987-1996. He has also served as an adjunct professor and Fellow of Trumbull College at Yale University. Sir Charles was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009 and a Knighthood and the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2010.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Professor Sir Charles Kao Kuen the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa.

John Chi Yan LEONG
Professor John Leong Chi-Yan is the President of the Open University of Hong Kong, and at HKU, an Emeritus Professor and an Honorary Professor of its Departments of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, and Biochemistry. Professor Leong received his MBBS from HKU in 1965, and has been with the University for 38 years, during which time he has served as Director of the Faculty of Medicine's School of Postgraduate Medical Education and Training, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Chief of Service of the Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology at Queen Mary Hospital, and Professor and Head of the HKU Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh and England, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of Thailand. Professor Leong was elected as an as Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001, appointed Justice of the Peace in 1993, and was awarded an OBE in 1996 and a Silver Bauhinia Star in 2009.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Professor John Leong Chi-Yan the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa.

John Cho Chak CHAN
Dr John Chan Cho Chak is renowned and respected for his lifetime of contributions to many different sectors in Hong Kong - the civil service, commerce, and public and community service. Dr Chan holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree and a Diploma in Management Studies from HKU. He has served the Hong Kong Government in many posts, including as Private Secretary to the Governor from 1973-1975. He has been the Managing Director of Transport International Holdings and the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, and his illustrious public service includes the Chairmanship of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Court and Council. Dr Chan was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1994, awarded a Gold Bauhinia Star in 1999 and an Honorary University Fellowship from HKU in 2000, and conferred an Honorary Doctorate from HKUST in 2009.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Dr John Chan Cho Chak the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa.

Christopher Wai Chee CHENG
Mr Christopher Cheng Wai Chee is the Chairman of Wing Tai Properties Limited and Winsor Properties Holdings Limited, and is also on the Board of Directors of many corporations in Hong Kong and abroad. Mr Cheng has played an active role in promoting the development of Hong Kong as an international trade, commercial and financial centre, particularly as Chairman of the Governance Committee of Exchange Fund Advisory Committee and former Non-Executive Director of the Securities and Futures Commission. He is a Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and has also lent his experience and expertise to countless Boards and organisations in the name of public service. Mr. Cheng holds a BBA from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA from Columbia University. He has provided support and leadership to the higher education sector in Hong Kong, and has served as a member of the Council of HKU and Chairman of its Human Resource Policy Committee. Mr Cheng was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1985, awarded an OBE in 1992 and a Gold Bauhinia Star in 2004.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Mr Christopher Cheng Wai Chee the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa.

Jack Chak Kwong SO
Mr Jack So Chak Kwong is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Film Development Council. After graduating from HKU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, Mr So joined the civil service, and has served in the former Resettlement Department (now Housing Department), then during the early days of the ICAC, and subsequently as Executive Director of the HKTDC. Mr So has also served in Sun Hung Kai Securities, as Chairman and Chief Executive of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, and as Deputy Chairman and Group Managing Director of PCCW. He is a Member of the Commission on Strategic Development and a Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. At HKU, Mr So has been a member of Council, Chairman of the Impact Study Steering Committee for the 90th Anniversary, and Chairman of the Campus Development & Planning Committee. He was made an Honorary University Fellow in 2001.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Mr Jack So Chak Kwong the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa.

Ka Ping TIN
Dr Tin Ka Ping is founder of Thians' Plastics Industrial Company Ltd, Tins' Enterprises Company Ltd and TinsChemical Corporation Ltd. He is also generous philanthropist and founder of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation. Dr Tin is an advocate and supporter of education, and over 20 Hong Kong schools, 80 universities in China, more than 170 secondary and vocation schools, 48 primary schools and kindergartens, 1450 rural libraries and countless other education facilities in China have been beneficiaries of his philanthropy. He is a Founding Honorary Patron of the HKU Foundation. His own Foundation supports the endeavours of the Faculty of Education through the K P Tin Visiting Fellowship Scheme and the Tin Ka Ping Education Fund. Dr Tin was awarded an MBE in 1996, a Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2010 and an Honorary University Fellowship from HKU in 1997, and has also received honorary degrees from many other higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and PRC.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and Hong Kong, the University will confer upon Dr Tin Ka Ping the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa.

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