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DIRECTOR’S COLUMN The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology STEERING FOR IMPROVEMENTS BUSINESS SCHOOL By Angela Ng The new 3+3+4 education The HKUST Business School is treating this 3+3+4 education reform as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make improvements to our undergraduate programs, from curriculum design to structure is entering its course offering, from student experience to co-curricular activities. To help us with this important implementation stage, with exercise, the School has initiated two review projects this summer. We have invited the CONTENTS University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Texas at Austin to the New Senior Secondary conduct a peer review, and at the same time have commissioned a market research company to carry out an employers’ survey for us to collect recruiters’ feedback. curriculum commencing In early June, three reviewers from the above-mentioned universities attended 14 02 DIRECTOR’S COLUMN this September. For the meetings, a luncheon and a cocktail reception over three days. They met nearly higher education section, 100 people, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, recruiters and business partners. It was indeed a thorough and comprehensive review. The reviewers have even though we have three provided us with many insightful suggestions, especially on the 4-year business 03 ABOUT OUR NEW DEAN undergraduate program design. more years to prepare for the first cohort of 4-year degree The reviewers have also advised us to enhance our communication with 05 COVER STORY: SURVIVAL SKILLS AT UST students. This is actually a never-ending project of mine. Earlier this year, undergraduates, we already I launched my own blog, which has created another channel for me to 11 SBM EVENTS COLLECTION: SPRING/SUMMER share ideas and opinions with our students. I hope more of you will visit my feel like the clock clicking real blog and join in some of our discussions. fast and we are working under a 13 PHOTO GALLERY In the employers’ survey, the market research company will interview over very tight timeframe, especially 300 recruiters and gather their comments on our recent graduates. The 15 THE REWARDING COMPETITIONS survey is scheduled to be completed in September. With the reports from for the coming academic year. these two projects, we will get back to the drawing board in the Fall to lay out the framework of the 4-year curriculum. Your input will also be very 19 PARTNERS’ VISITS crucial in ensuring the success of our future program. I would thus like to invite you to submit your ideas to us via my blog. 21 OUR NEW EXCHANGE PARTNERS http://blog.ust.hk/angela/ 23 ALUMNI GATHERINGS 24 GRADUATE CLUB ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 25 GRADUATE UPDATES The School is very grateful to have many corporate partners, friends and alumni to help us nurture our young business students. We would like to thank Professor Paula Murray, Professor Georgette Phillips and Professor Scott Moore for giving us valuable Published by the Undergraduate Programs Office advice in the peer review. HKUST Business School We would like to thank the following companies for their support: AIA Company (Bermuda) Limited, A.S. Watson Group, AsiaPay Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Limited, Rhombus International Hotels Group, Thomson Reuters, Skyplan Group Limited, the Bullet Agency and the David Tai Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Agency of The Prudential Assurance Co. Ltd. in our Corporate Mentoring Program. Tel: (852) 2358 7533 Email: [email protected] Fax: (852) 2358 1467 Website: www.bm.ust.hk/ug Television Broadcasts Limited, InnoCentre, 3M Hong Kong, Commercial Radio Interactive and Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Ltd are of paramount importance in launching many corporate projects with us. We thank them. We are thankful to have our community partners, EP Venture, Caritas Hong Kong, the House of Learning and the Hong Kong Anti- UG News - AUG 2009 Cancer Society, who have been very generous in granting our students chances to engage in social responsibility projects. Last but not least, we thank our alumni with deepest gratitude for their wholehearted generosity. They continuously lend us their unconditional support and regularly share their experiences with us. HKUST Business School 1 2 I bet all of you must know who Dean Leonard UNIVERSITY LIFE Cheng is, as he always represents SBM in official functions. However, how much do About our new Dean Can you share with us something about your university life? I can see that you were very active you know about him? His university life? His What was the most enjoyable experience with friends in CUHK? in student activities. Do you consider yourself a popular guy in university? honeymoon experience? His favourite colour? When I was an undergraduate student in CUHK, I spent most of my time studying because I planned to further my studies in overseas (Laugh) I am just a normal guy, but Here comes a list of Q&A questions for you to universities. However, I have also joined a lot of student activities; I have many friends because of my know more. I was the President of the Economics Society and Council Member broad interests. I read a lot of books, of the Student Union of United College. I also helped with the from philosophical books to science student newspaper as an associate editor. books about the universe written by Albert Einstein. Therefore, I can chat I loved to play badminton with my friends. We also enjoyed with nearly everyone. swimming and barbeques. I even cooked for my friends back then, and my most famous dish was Gwat Lei Yue (a Chinese , fish dish). NO PAIN In front of the dorm at CUHK NO GAIN FAMILY Luck is beyond your control, you need How’s your interaction with your children? to be ready when the opportunity comes Since my son is working in California and my daughter is working in New York, so you can grab the opportunity. they only come back to Hong Kong once a year, so I won’t be able to see them often. We normally communicate through phone calls and emails. To BLUE me, family is more important than my work. COLOUR TO DESCRIBE HIMSELF Seriousness, stable, Meaning With family on vacation good tempered, not aggressive, firm Are you a romantic person with your wife? I am not really a romantic person since I am bad at remembering dates. Usually my children will remind me of my wife’s birthday, LOVE WORK our anniversaries, etc. There was one time when my children What do you do in your leisure and I had forgotten my own birthday; I only realized it when my time? insurance agency sent me a birthday card. Why did you choose to quit your job at the I will do a minimum amount of University of Florida and come to HKUST? Which is the most romantic moment with your wife? exercise, usually swimming these days. I love badminton a lot, I have been married with my wife for nearly 30 years, and my I considered it to be an accident. It was mainly however I was diagnosed to have a most enjoyable time with her was during our honeymoon in because of invitations from my friends, Prof Francis retinal detachment in the past and Canada. We visited the western part of Canada in our road trip, Lui and Prof Yuk-Shee Chan (current president of I have already gone through a laser starting from Vancouver, then to two beautiful Canadian mountain Lingnan University). What attracted me the most surgery on my retina, so my doctor towns, Jasper and Banff, where there were lots of was the PEOPLE! When a university starts out advised me not to do any exercise beautiful flowers and the spectacular Rocky Mountains. with strong people, those strong ones will use their which involves jumping. standards to measure others’ work and further push I have also travelled to lots of places with my wife. She up the overall standard. As a result, HKUST has loves visiting old cities in Europe the most as she likes After I get off from work every night, grown into one of the top Asian universities within such the culture and those unique European buildings. I will watch TV to relax myself. I also a short period of time. For the business school, our like to read books. Recently, I love 5-year strategic alliance with UCLA has helped us a lot. reading books written by Yu Qiuyu (余秋雨). With noble laureate Prof Robert Lucas Jr. With Prof Yuk-shee Chan LEISURE What is your biggest achievement and biggest What is the most enjoyable function you have joined regret at work? as SBM’s Dean? Having been in so many different roles in HKUST, I like to be a judge for case competitions. I really appreciate with maximum working hours of 90 hours a week, I all their creative ideas and I also enjoy learning from The newly-wedded On honeymoon consider my role of Department Head of Economics them, e.g. how facebook advertisements AFTERWORD as my biggest achievement. I have helped to build can affect current teenagers. Interviewing Prof. Cheng was quite an interesting job as he can always link up the current Department of Economics and at the the answers of different questions back to his work life. From this short same time spread my passion for the subject to interview, I can feel that he is really passionate towards his work and he really UG News - AUG 2009 enjoys what he is doing. current students. Prof. Cheng impresses me with his belief of “no pain, no gain” and not While for my biggest regrets, I do not like to think thinking about regrets, but rather, looking forward.