The University held the Inauguration Ceremony of Endowed Professorships on 24 August to confer Endowed Professor and Endowed Associate Professor titles on four distinguished scholars and acknowledge the tremendous support of their respective donors. This year, the University introduced the category of Endowed Associate Professorship to the Endowed Professorships Scheme to expand the level of support and enable more aspiring scholars to conduct top-tier research. It also marked the first time that a charity foundation endowed more than one Professorship.

The three Endowed Professors and the Endowed Associate Professor are (in alphabetical order of discipline):

(i) Cheung On Tak Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine
     (Endowed by Cheung On Tak Charity Foundation)
     Professor Jia Wei

(ii) Vincent V.C. Woo Endowed Associate Professor in Chinese Medicine
     (Endowed by Vincent and Lily Woo Foundation)
      Dr. Han Quanbin

(iii) Dr. Hung Yeung Pong Wah Endowed Professor in Film and Television
      (Endowed by Hung Hin Shiu Charitable Foundation Limited)
       Professor Man Shu Sum

(iv) Dr. Hung Hin Shiu Endowed Professor in Music
      (Endowed by Hung Hin Shiu Charitable Foundation Limited)
       Professor Johnny M Poon

Officiated by Dr. Clement Chen, GBS, JP, Chairman of the Council and the Court, and Professor Roland T. Chin, President and Vice-Chancellor, the ceremony was well attended by University members and guests. To express our gratitude to the respective donors, the University presented a souvenir plaque to each donor, including Ms. Annie Cheung and Mr. Gavin Cheung, representatives of the Cheung On Tak Charity Foundation; Ms. Cindy Wu, representative of the Vincent and Lily Woo Foundation; as well as Mr. Billy Hung and Ms. Elizabeth Hung, representatives of Hung Hin Shiu Charitable Foundation Limited. The three Endowed Professors and the Endowed Associate Professor were presented with certificates of appointment.

In his welcome address, Professor Chin expressed his deepest gratitude to the enormous support of the donors who shared the same vision and enthusiasm as HKBU. He said, “To bolster our capacity, our University builds interdisciplinary research laboratories and invests in people, in particular through the Talent100 Initiative. The Endowed Professorships Scheme is essential for enlarging and enriching our global talent pool. With the crucial funds provided by the Scheme, I am certain that our first-class scholars will develop and discover still more novel solutions that will make impactful contributions to society and the world at large.”

An Endowed Professorship is among the highest honours to be bestowed upon prominent academics at HKBU in recognition of their accomplishments. Established in 2006, the Endowed Professorships Scheme provides remarkable opportunities for visionary donors to partner with the University in advancing ground-breaking research and academic excellence in their chosen disciplines for the betterment of humankind. To honour the establishment of each Endowed Professorship, the University presented to each donor a specially made commemorative Ming Dynasty style chair as a token of our appreciation and a remembrance of their partnership with the University.

More details of the ceremony:

• Video of Professor Jia Wei, Cheung On Tak Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine
• Video of Dr. Han Quanbin, Vincent V.C. Woo Endowed Associate Professor in Chinese Medicine
• Video of Professor Man Shu Sum, Dr. Hung Yeung Pong Wah Endowed Professor in Film and Television
• Video of Professor Johnny M Poon, Dr. Hung Hin Shiu Endowed Professor in Music
• HKBU Endowed Professorships Scheme Website
• Newspaper Supplements about the Endowed Professorships Scheme
  • South China Morning Post (English version)
  • Ming Pao (Chinese version)

A commemorative chair crafted in the style of the Ming Dynasty is specially made and presented to our benefactors. Above the University’s emblem engraved on the chair’s back splat, a customised plaque bearing the name of the Endowed Professorship is mounted, making each commemorative chair in itself a unique artwork.