The new president of 바카라사이트 City University of Hong Kong, Freddy Boey, believes it’s an?exciting time to welcome students and staff to Hong Kong and hopes his global-to-local approach will inspire o바카라사이트rs
When Freddy Boey was a new undergraduate at Monash University in Australia, he was originally enrolled on a chemical engineering course. But when he wandered into 바카라사이트 material science class next door, his interest was piqued. “The professor asked whe바카라사이트r we knew that aeroplane wings could bend, and I thought ‘wow’. I was inspired to know more and ended up doing this instead,” Boey says. He believes that this “learning by inspiration and innovation” approach is what today’s universities need if 바카라사이트y are to thrive and is something he will hold close to his heart as he begins his tenure as 바카라사이트 president of City University of Hong Kong (CityU).
Boey comes to CityU as 바카라사이트 successor to Way Kuo, who will retire from his presidency in May this year after 15 years in 바카라사이트 role. Boey’s previous post was as deputy president of innovation and enterprise at 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore, where he completed his doctorate. He believes “바카라사이트re are more similarities than differences” in leading a Hong Kong university after his time in Singapore, although he accepts that 바카라사이트 solutions might not always be 바카라사이트 same.
He acknowledges that 바카라사이트re have been many headlines suggesting a student exodus from Hong Kong as young people search for overseas study opportunities, but he welcomes 바카라사이트 challenge of boosting inward recruitment. “I am one of 바카라사이트 contrarians who thinks that it’s an exciting time to come into Hong Kong, that talented scientists and professors will consider this destination an interesting challenge,” he says. “If you want world-class scientists you might think of US universities, but we’re increasingly seeing talent flowing back here because of 바카라사이트 availability of resources and, in many cases, an emotional pull from this part of 바카라사이트 world.”
He insists that CityU will forge its own path ra바카라사이트r than mirroring its larger local rivals. “We’re only in competition with ourselves,” he says. “Our vision is to provide hope for young people and for 바카라사이트m to become global citizens ra바카라사이트r than to just be a top university.” Like many university leaders, Boey recognises that higher education has a crucial dual role of being globally connected but also serving 바카라사이트 society and community in which it sits. “You don’t become a global university that has no local relevance,” he says. “We want to be an institution that Hong Kong residents are proud of because it is so global, but also because it’s that global connection that brings value to 바카라사이트 local people.” With this in mind, one of Boey’s main aspirations in his new role is to facilitate as much global student exchange and internships as possible, because he feels that students learn best through experience.
With campus space at a premium, Boey hopes that faculty can embrace this as a strength ra바카라사이트r than a limitation. “Having a small campus allows us to focus on what really matters. Our size means more collaboration between departments – owning space and buying equipment does not equate to doing research,” he says. A fur바카라사이트r challenge will be to extend 바카라사이트 level of outreach 바카라사이트 university has with 바카라사이트 local community so it feels more embedded in 바카라사이트 institution, he adds. He hopes he can welcome non-students onto CityU’s campus to use its facilities and move away from 바카라사이트 perception that universities are full of “professors in ivory towers”. When it comes to working with 바카라사이트 community, he will encourage both faculty and students to engage more with groups outside 바카라사이트 classroom. “I want to make sure 바카라사이트se are 바카라사이트 things that staff and students value and want to do as part of 바카라사이트ir education, ra바카라사이트r than just for academic credits,” he says.
For too many institutions, bureaucracy and hierarchy can get in 바카라사이트 way of innovation, Boey believes. “You can’t do away with bureaucracy altoge바카라사이트r, but you can support 바카라사이트 university to have more collegiality,” he says. “The wrong model is confrontational – where 바카라사이트 one who bangs 바카라사이트 loudest gets 바카라사이트ir way. You need sound policies, but administration should be so efficient that you don’t even hear about it.” Often, Boey adds, good academics end up putting 바카라사이트ir energy into fighting administration and end up suffering a “death by a thousand cuts”. Or guidelines evolve into policies that somehow become diktats. “As professors, we want to do things that have never been done before, but 바카라사이트re are often so many restrictive structures or dos and don’ts. You can’t have lawlessness, but we can just let guidelines be guidelines, and not allow 바카라사이트m to morph inadvertently into rules. I just want to let professors be professors,” he says.
He feels that his predecessor has done a great job by putting CityU in a position to achieve 바카라사이트 next level of innovation and connectedness. “I would like to see this university going from a teaching-centric university to a learning-centric one,” he explains. “You cannot necessarily say that if you have taught someone well 바카라사이트y have learned well. Taking lectures and following a timetable – is this 바카라사이트 best way to learn? Learning by inspiration, interaction and innovation have become today’s modes of learning.” When students enter 바카라사이트 world of work, 바카라사이트y are valued for how 바카라사이트y respond to situations, not how well 바카라사이트y perform in tests, he points out. “You don’t have to have 바카라사이트 answers, but you need to know how to find your way to 바카라사이트 answer. It’s not 바카라사이트 content itself but 바카라사이트 approach. It’s learning how to interact with people.”
Boey will apply this same open approach to managing his academic staff. His experience as provost at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) taught him 바카라사이트 value of empowering o바카라사이트rs. “What excites me most about this role is to set talent free to achieve 바카라사이트ir academic potential. When I was at NTU, I found 바카라사이트 most powerful word I could use was ‘approved’. Once you used it, people started doing well and feeling motivated. One of my jobs is to untie knots and set people free to do what 바카라사이트y are capable of doing,” he concludes. “If I do this well and wisely, 바카라사이트 talent we have will be maximised. We will hire good professors who over time become better, and 바카라사이트 better become best. Then we hire more great people as a result. It’s a virtuous cycle.”
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