He Shunwen Retires as Hang Seng University President, Calls Northern Metropolis Campus a 'Century Opportunity'
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago6 MIN
Summary
He Shunwen has officially retired as president of Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (恒生大學) after serving in the role for 12.5 years, with his term concluding at the end of last month . He handed over leadership to incoming president Mok Ka-ho, who assumed office in September . In a farewell interview with Sing Tao Education, He expressed strong views on Hong Kong's educational future, particularly regarding the Northern Metropolis university town project, which he described as a "century opportunity" .
Key Points
- He Shunwen took office as Hang Seng University president in March 2014, serving two extended terms before officially retiring at the end of August
- He characterized the upcoming Northern Metropolis university town tender as a "century opportunity" to establish a unique Hong Kong education model from scratch, but warned against excessive focus on technology and economic growth
- He emphasized that technology, humanities and social sciences should integrate mutually, cautioning that prioritizing applied technology while undervaluing basic science would lead to long-term dependency on others
- He criticized universities' aggressive scholarship recruitment of "super top scorers," stating that publicizing 17 and 18-year-olds as "super top scorers" places enormous pressure on them and may mislead the public into thinking schools pursue "perfect scores"
- Regarding his proudest achievement, He highlighted that during his tenure, Hang Seng University successfully upgraded from a management college to a university in 2018, and he remains most proud of changing Hong Kong's higher education ecosystem rather than pursuing rankings
Why It Matters
He's parting message highlighted the tension between market pressures and educational ideals, urging Hang Seng University's new management to preserve the university's flexibility and willingness to "challenge mainstream" while maintaining its founding principles rather than sacrificing them for growth . His successor Mok Ka-ho will inherit both the opportunity to expand through the Northern Metropolis and the challenge of preserving Hang Seng University's distinctive liberal arts character in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape .
He's parting message highlighted the tension between market pressures and educational ideals, urging Hang Seng University's new management to preserve the university's flexibility and willingness to "challenge mainstream" while maintaining its founding principles rather than sacrificing them for growth . His successor Mok Ka-ho will inherit both the opportunity to expand through the Northern Metropolis and the challenge of preserving Hang Seng University's distinctive liberal arts character in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape .