Media

HKU Council establishes the Review Panel on University Governance
and appoints members to the Panel

26 Apr 2016

At its meeting on April 26 (Tuesday), the Council of the University of Hong Kong formally established an independent Review Panel to study the governance of the University and its effectiveness.

The Council resolved to invite the following to be members of the three-person Review Panel: Panel Chairman Professor Sir Malcolm Grant, Chancellor of the University of York; Professor William C. Kirby, T.M Chang Professor of China Studies and Spangler Family Professor of Business at Harvard University; and Mr Peter Van Tu Nguyen. Both Sir Malcolm and Professor Kirby are former UGC members. Mr Nguyen is a former High Court judge of the HKSAR.

The Council Chairman Professor Arthur Li said: “We are really very fortunate to be able to invite these three distinguished persons to help us and to form such a top quality review panel”. The President Professor Peter Mathieson added: “With their experience, I am sure that the panel members will do an excellent job.”

The terms of reference of the Review Panel are as follows:

“To conduct an overall review of the governance structure of the University, and specifically

1. to review the effectiveness of the current governance structure of the University, following the implementation of the recommendations in the Niland Reports (2003 and 2009);

2. for the purpose of the review, to

1. receive information, advice and suggestions from relevant committees and members of the University (including staff, students and alumni) and other stakeholders of the University;
2. take into consideration findings and recommendations of relevant reviews of university governance in recent years (including the review conducted by Professor Sir Howard Newby commissioned by the UGC) and the review by the University’s Working Group on Confidentiality, as well as best practices of publicly funded universities around the world;
3. review the provisions in the University Ordinance and Statutes relating to the University’s governance, management and operations, and their appropriateness; and
4. conduct reviews in any other areas which relate or affect the effectiveness of the University’s governance;

3. to make recommendations which would enhance the effectiveness of the governance of the University as appropriate.”

It was clarified at the Council meeting that these terms of reference provide the Review Panel with the flexibility to study and make recommendations on issues which members of the University may wish to raise with the Panel.

The Review Panel will start to prepare for the review and to invite comments as soon as possible; it will also collect views from Council members, University staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders through meetings and forums to be held in June. It is expected that the review report will be completed by the end of the calendar year of 2016. 

For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Trinni Choy (Assistant Director (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 / email: pychoy@hku.hk or Ms Melanie Wan (Manager (Media), Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2600 / email: melwkwan@hku.hk.