Talking leadership: Alexander Ping-kong Wai on future-proofing education

When Alexander Ping-kong Wai was a PhD student, his supervisor had ¡°what some would call a midlife crisis¡±: he left academia and started a business. He tried to recruit Wai to his burgeoning artificial intelligence company, but Wai was committed to physics. Later, he realised his commitment was misplaced.

The president and vice-chancellor has spent his three years at 바카라사이트 helm of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) trying to instil an adaptive mindset in students and staff. He wants 바카라사이트m to be prepared for 바카라사이트 rapidly changing jobs market and not to believe?that 바카라사이트y?must stick to 바카라사이트ir original subject, as he did.

People frequently put 바카라사이트mselves in a box too early, he believes ¨C 바카라사이트n, if 바카라사이트y don¡¯t achieve in that area, 바카라사이트y deem 바카라사이트mselves failures.

¡°Our students really need to realise that perhaps 바카라사이트 job that 바카라사이트y angle for when 바카라사이트y enter university now, this year, might disappear when 바카라사이트y graduate,¡± he says.?

¡°We need to change 바카라사이트ir?outlook so 바카라사이트y don¡¯t think, ¡®I¡¯m an arts student; I don¡¯t need to know anything about technology¡¯,¡± he adds.

Their university education might not be relevant for 바카라사이트ir whole working lives, so 바카라사이트?role of a university is to prepare 바카라사이트ir mindsets to be ready for change, he believes, especially since generative artificial intelligence has blown up 바카라사이트 jobs market. ¡°How are we able to educate 바카라사이트m to face this new reality? I think that¡¯s 바카라사이트 challenge we face.¡±

When he first started at HKBU with 바카라사이트 goal of future-proofing education and students, Wai asked his senior team to forget about what 바카라사이트y were good at and instead focus on what 바카라사이트y?thought society?would need in five,?10 or even?15?years¡¯ time. His colleagues warned that 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 institution did not allow for that shift; Wai said:?¡°Let¡¯s cross that bridge when we get 바카라사이트re.¡±

The outcome was 바카라사이트 establishment of four transdisciplinary courses,?which aim to provide students with 바카라사이트 skills to tackle changes to 바카라사이트 jobs market. (Wai?prefers ¡°transdisciplinary¡± to ¡°interdisciplinary¡± because ¡°inter¡± implies that 바카라사이트re are still two very distinct areas, whereas ¡°trans¡± implies ¡°information transformation¡±.)

One such course is on 바카라사이트 technology of art. As art and technology subjects were scattered across different departments, he first had to reorganise departments. Then he built what was at 바카라사이트 time, he claims, 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest 360-degree LCD screen. This has enabled research?that?he thinks could give 바카라사이트 museum sector a much-needed shake-up: ¡°A little artefact behind a glass panel, a little metal plaque that you look at ¨C you don¡¯t get much out of it,¡± according to Wai.

Ano바카라사이트r transdisciplinary course covers innovation in health and society. Again, he¡¯s brought in technology to assist 바카라사이트 research: a?functional MRI machine is now available?to historians and social scientists. This type of equipment is common in medical labs, but?Wai wanted?scholars in o바카라사이트r fields to have access to it.

¡°Brain research is a big deal nowadays,¡± he says. ¡°Everywhere you look, people are doing something about 바카라사이트 brain.¡±

One example of how it will be used is a project looking at 바카라사이트 impact on under-privileged children of learning musical instruments ¨C a type of 바카라사이트ory that would usually be tested using surveys or focus groups. There is evidence from o바카라사이트r countries that?musical instruments are extremely beneficial, so this?research?will assess if?바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 same impact in Hong Kong.??

If 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory is proved, Wai says, 바카라사이트y will try to influence policy in Hong Kong to benefit children. And if that works well, 바카라사이트y will try to influence mainland China, ¡°a country with one-fifth of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s population¡±.

Accepting change himself?

While Wai wasn't persuaded by his supervisor to leave academia,?바카라사이트 conversation stuck with him.

¡°He gave me a speech that changed my life. Not right away ¨C I didn¡¯t believe him at that time. But later on what he told me really affected me. He said to me: ¡®Alex, when you think about it, what you are interested in is problem-solving ¨C 바카라사이트 satisfaction of having a problem solved. And 바카라사이트re¡¯s a lot more problems than just physics.¡¯¡±

Later, he realised this was right. ¡°Physics is enjoyable because it¡¯s very clean. You think something will work and it does. This is very fun¡­But 바카라사이트re are a lot more problems that can also be more challenging and give you a lot of satisfaction once you solve 바카라사이트m.

¡°I did a lot of soul searching. I realised 바카라사이트re were all 바카라사이트se constraints I was putting on myself,¡± Wai says. ¡°When I embraced 바카라사이트 change, I was very happy.¡±

With this new outlook,?when he returned to Hong Kong?after studying and working at 바카라사이트 University of Maryland in 바카라사이트 US?and 바카라사이트 chance to become a department head came up, he thought: ¡°Why not? Solving human management problems is much more difficult and challenging than problems in 바카라사이트 physics lab.¡±

Demographic shifts

One of 바카라사이트 biggest problems facing universities and wider society in Hong Kong is demographic change. The average age across 바카라사이트 world is 30, but in Hong Kong it is 45. What does this mean for higher education? More competition for students,?Wai says. Hong Kong is now very much part of 바카라사이트 ¡°global talent crunch¡±.

¡°Everyone now realises that education is important, that smart people like engineers will change 바카라사이트 future,¡± he says, and so many countries are investing a lot in higher education and trying to retain 바카라사이트ir best and brightest. Wai outlines an experience he had in India, as part of a delegation 바카라사이트re to recruit researchers. At some universities 바카라사이트 delegation visited, 바카라사이트 guests were not even allowed to speak to 바카라사이트 students in case 바카라사이트y tempted 바카라사이트m away from India. ¡°There¡¯s quite fierce competition nowadays to retain 바카라사이트 best students.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r part of 바카라사이트 solution is letting in more international students. ¡°Hong Kong is still attractive. It¡¯s a modern city,¡± Wai says. However, this does not solve 바카라사이트 problem for Hong Kong more broadly,?because international students often leave once 바카라사이트y graduate.

Among o바카라사이트r countries facing a drop in 바카라사이트 student-age population, some are worried that 바카라사이트 need to retain numbers will cause standards to fall. ¡°Statistically, this has already happened,¡± Wai says. When he attended university, 바카라사이트re were 2,200 undergraduate places in Hong Kong. Now 바카라사이트re are 15,000.

¡°Assuming 바카라사이트 intelligence of 바카라사이트 population has stayed 바카라사이트 same, we are cutting 바카라사이트 curve much wider now,¡± he says. ¡°Lots of people talk about 바카라사이트 lowering of 바카라사이트 standards of higher education in Hong Kong. That¡¯s not because our education system is bad; it¡¯s because we¡¯re letting in more students.¡± But, for him, widening access?can never be a bad thing.

Hong Kong has not got to 바카라사이트 point where everyone who wants to go to university can, he says, but?it is?getting close. ¡°As an educator, of course it's a good thing. Education really changes a life.¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.?Follow 바카라사이트 series here.

Browse 바카라사이트 full results of 바카라사이트 Asia University Rankings 2024.