Gift from the Vice-Chancellor: Water Bottles for Full Time First Year Students

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Dear First Year Undergraduate Students,

Celebrate your entrance to HKU with a brand new “Greening HKU” water bottle! A limited supply of durable stainless steel water bottles is available for full-time first year undergraduate students.

The initiative, funded by the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, is part of the University’s effort to promote the development of a sustainable campus. We also hope the water bottle will help you start a sustainable living style early in your undergraduate days.

During your time at HKU, carry your HKU water bottle and refill your bottles at the free, filtered water dispensers around campus (http://www.sustainability.hku.hk/sustainable-hku/water)! Each one litre of water you refill will save up to 250ml of crude oil and three litres of water used to produce the same amount of bottled water.

Simply present your Student ID Card to get your water bottle during the following redemption periods (while supply lasts):

Date: March 17 to 18, 2014 (Monday and Tuesday)
Time: 12noon – 6pm
Venue: Shaw Podium (near the old Bookstore)

Date: March 19 to 31, 2014
Time: Monday to Friday: 9am – 7pm;
Saturday: 9am – 1pm
Venue: Room 1A06, 1A/F Swire Building

Want to do more? Visit www.sustainability.hku.hk and find out what you can do! Have an idea already and looking for support? Write to us at sustainability@hku.hk or cedars@hku.hk.

May we also wish you a successful and rewarding undergraduate education ahead.

Best regards,
Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) Sustainability Office

Inter-University Forum: Social Entrepreneurship in Higher Education

Message from Knowledge Exchange Office

The British Council and Education for Good have the pleasure of inviting you to the following event:

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Date: Tuesday 25 March 2014
Time: 9.00 a.m – 2.30 p.m.
Venue: 3/F, British Council, 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong

Speakers
Professor Alex Nicholls, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (Read bio)
Mr Chris Mould, Partner, Shaftesbury Asia (Read bio)

Moderator
Dr K K Tse, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Education for Good CIC Ltd (Read bio)

Join the speakers and leading local authorities on social enterprise from Hong Kong’s universities to discuss approaches to social entrepreneurship teaching and learning in the UK and other countries. The forum will provide a platform for cross-disciplinary learning and identify opportunities for collaboration.

The forum will cover:

  • Overview of initiatives to nurture social entrepreneurship in HK higher education institutions
  • UK academic provisions on social entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
  • Examples of business collaborations from Shaftesbury Partnership, including Tesco and Johnson & Johnson

By registration only. Lunch will be provided.

Register to attend

For further information, please contact:
socialenterprise@britishcouncil.org.hk
+852 2913 5100

Partners
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Nominate students who have won external awards to attend Prize Presentation Ceremony

Message from CEDARS


Dear colleagues,

Each year, the Vice-Chancellor hosts a Prize Presentation Ceremony for students winning external awards to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements, dedications and talents. The Ceremony will be held on 13 April (Sunday) evening in 2014.

We are inviting students who have received awards of significance in international, Pan-Asia Pacific region and local competitions during April 2013 to March 2014 to join the Ceremony. Awardees will be commended by the Vice-Chancellor and attend a High Table Dinner to celebrate their achievements with their teachers, family and friends.

If you have provided guidance to help student(s) win an external competition, please kindly invite them to register for the Prize Presentation Ceremony.

For detailed information on registration guidelines and eligibilities, please visit http://cedars.hku.hk/pc2014. Deadline for registration is 21 March 2014 (Friday).

Should you have any questions, please contact Ms Cindy Chan at cpychan@hku.hk.

Yours sincerely,

Cindy Chan (Ms)
Chief Student Advising Officer (Student Development)
Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS)

Staff Teaching Space Experience Survey – February 2014

Message from Professor Amy Tsui, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Teaching and Learning)

IMGL3868-2Dear Colleagues,

IT  Services will be conducting an online Teaching Space Experience Survey on behalf of the University during week commencing 24th February 2014.

The purpose of this survey is to gather information about your experiences and perceptions of the classroom environments that you use to deliver your lectures and seminars etc. in order to find out what you think is important and of any issues to be addressed.

Your opinions are valuable to us and this information will help us understand how we can provide better facilities to support your teaching.  A separate survey investigating the student learning environment experience will be running concurrently.

The results of both will be used to inform the University Strategy for future development of Teaching and Learning Spaces over the coming planning period (2-3 years) to ensure that space provided for teaching and learning is fit for purpose and of good quality in order to enhance the student learning experience.

You can access the survey through this link:

http://www.its.hku.hk/survey/tl/staff

If you have any questions or queries about this survey please contact Mrs Toni Kelly, Associate Director (Learning Environments), at tkelly@hku.hk.
With best wishes
Professor Amy Tsui
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Teaching & Learning)

2014 UGC Teaching Award

All recipients of the HKU University Distinguished Teaching Award and the Outstanding Teaching Award are now invited to apply for the 2014 UGC Teaching Award. For details, please refer to the circular posted on this page. Submissions are due March 28, 2014.

We Are With You Project Fund 2013-14 (Second Round): Call for Applications

Message from CEDARS – Student Development

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Dear Students and Colleagues,

Applications are now invited for We Are With You Project Fund (Fund).

“We Are With You” (WAY) is a four-year community-based social capital development project in the Southern District. HKU students and staff will contribute to improve the condition of the less privileged and empower them to improve their own conditions in the long run. Its objective is to develop a replicable model for social capital development, particularly with the involvement of staff and students of tertiary institutions. The Fund will support projects initiated by students and staff of HKU under WAY.

The Fund is open to all HKU full-time students and staff. Joint projects between students and staff will be preferred. The Fund may be used to support research, direct services, community events, exhibitions, social entrepreneurship, documentary making, art, cultural, history promotion and presentations, and all activities that contribute to the goals of WAY. The projects should be carried out in the Southern District of Hong Kong preferably in collaboration with at least one community partner/NGO in the District. The project should normally be completed within one year. Longer projects are also welcome but funding will be approved for one year in the first instance with possibility of renewal. The maximum amount to be granted to each project is HK$50,000.

Details of the Fund are available at: http://wp.cedars.hku.hk/fileupload/files/sd/WAY_Fund_Application_Guidelines.pdf.  To know more about We Are With You Project, please visit: http://cedars.hku.hk/way/.  Applications should be submitted to cedars-programmes@hku.hk on/before 13 April 2014 (Sunday).  Retrospective application will NOT be considered.

For enquiries, please contact us at cedars-programmes@hku.hk (email) or 2857 8387 (phone).

Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS)

Teaching Space Utilisation Survey – February 2014

Message from Dr. Steven Cannon, Executive Vice-President

Dear Colleagues and Students,

Teaching Space Utilisation Survey – February 2014

IT Services will be conducting a second Teaching Space Utilisation Survey on behalf of the University during week commencing 10th February 2014.

Once again, the survey will look at every “central pool” classroom and lecture theatre once each hour between 8.30am and 6.30pm for 5 days and the data will be collected by University Security staff.

These staff will be required to enter each classroom and, in the case of rooms with a capacity of 50 or below, count every student in attendance, or, in the case of rooms of 51 or above, make a judgment as to how full the room is (25%, 50% and so on). Staff will attempt to keep any disruption to teaching to a minimum and should only be in the room for a few moments.

The data collected will be used to inform the future development and refurbishment of University teaching space over the coming planning period (2-3 years) to ensure that space provided for teaching is fit for purpose, the right size and of good quality in order to enhance the student learning experience.

Each room to be surveyed will have a clear survey message displayed on or close to the entrance doors and at the teachers workstation.

If you have any questions or queries about this survey please contact Mrs Toni Kelly, Associate Director (Learning Environments), at tkelly@hku.hk.

With best wishes
Dr. Steven Cannon
Executive Vice-President
(Administration and Finance)

Teaching Excellence Awards 2013
Winners Announced

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Message from The Vice-Chancellor

Dear Colleagues and Students,

I am very pleased to announce the winners of the Outstanding Teaching Award for 2013:

Individual Award
  • Professor Wing-sum Cheung, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science
  • Dr. Tammy Y.L. Kwan, Faculty of Education
  • Dr. Cole Roskam, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture
  • Dr. Kaimin Shih, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
  • Ms. Dorothy S.W. Tang, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture
  • Dr. Xiaojun Yan, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences
Team Award
  • Professor Li-chong Chan (Leader), Dr. Julie Y. Chen, Dr. Janice W.H. Tsang of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine for A Medical Humanities Core Curriculum: Engaging Medical Students Through Experiential Learning

Many congratulations!

The Selection Panel was deeply impressed by the awardees’ dedication to teaching, their tireless and creative efforts to make learning enjoyable and challenging, and the impact that they have made on their students’ learning.

The awardees will be honoured at the upcoming award presentation ceremony on Wednesday, 26 March 2014; and their names will be posted for a period of five years on the Teaching Excellence Awards Honour Board in the Main Library.

I would like to thank our external assessor Professor Michele D. Marincovich (Senior Advisor to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford University) in providing us with her expert advice in situ during the final selection process. I would also like to thank the other Panel members, Professor Amy B.M. Tsui, Professor Grahame T. Bilbow, Dr. David M. Pomfret and Ms. Yee-man Wong (student representative), for their assistance in this important exercise.

I look forward to seeing you all at the ceremony.

Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor
Chairman
Selection Panel for Teaching Excellence Awards 2013

Director of Common Core Curriculum

Message from Professor Amy B.M. Tsui, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) and Vice-President

Dear Colleagues,

Director of Common Core Curriculum

DSC02113As some of you may know already, Mr Gwyn Edwards, Director of Common Core Curriculum, will step down from the Directorship at the end of December 2013, having served in that capacity since its inception. Mr Edwards has played an important role in the conceptualization of the Common Core Curriculum as well as its implementation. His very broad knowledge base, deep insights into profound issues confronting human societies, and collegial intellectual engagement with colleagues have inspired many to contribute their best to the Common Core Curriculum. I wish to express my deep gratitude to Mr Edwards for taking on a highly complex and onerous task and making it a success.

An international recruitment for a new Director has been underway. In the interim, Professor Gina Marchetti, Professor of Comparative Literature in the Faculty of Arts and Convenor for Global Issues Area of Inquiry, has kindly agreed to serve as the Acting Director from December 23, 2013. To facilitate the transition, Mr Edwards has kindly agreed to serve as Deputy Director on a part-time basis from mid-February 2014. I wish to thank both Professor Marchetti and Mr Edwards for their commitment to making a difference to undergraduate education at this University.

Amy B.M. Tsui
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) and Vice-President
Chair of Language and Education