Prof. Lawrence Lau would like to see CUHK admitting more quality students from the mainland and overseas, so that the percentage of non-local students can be increased to 20%-25% of the University's total enrolment.
At a press meeting held this week on the campus, vice-chancellor Prof. Lawrence J. Lau restated plans to increase the number of non-local students to 20-25 per cent of the University's total enrolment. Advocating 'education without borders', Prof. Lau said that there is a need for CUHK to reach out and to establish for itself a national and international brand name that can attract students from the mainland and from overseas.
Through increased interaction with non-local students from different cultural backgrounds, local students can broaden their horizons and acquire new perspectives. With a better international profile, the University will also be better able to recruit top talent from across the world, who will be Hong Kong's most valuable asset. The University has set its eyes on not only mainland students, but also students from other countries in the region. The University will study the criteria for their admission and other technicalities.
The vice-chancellor is fully convinced of the University's potential to rise above the parochial and elevate itself to the national and international level. There are currently some 1,500 non-local students on its campus, including undergraduate, postgraduate and exchange students. It has also established student exchange programmes with over 180 universities, including Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Peking University, and Copenhagen Business School. All CUHK faculty members have been internationally recruited, and 94 per cent possess one or more degrees or qualifications earned overseas. In 2002-3, they published over 4,000 papers in international journals. In many respects, therefore, CUHK is already a university of international character.
Prof. Lau stressed that the provision of education for non-local students should not and would not place additional burdens on Hong Kong taxpayers. There should be a differentiation between the tuition fees for local and non-local students. Non-local students may have to pay higher tuition. The University should at the same time explore other sources of revenue to finance its internationalization plans. Possibilities include contributions from the general public and private enterprises, and sponsorship from major foundations outside Hong Kong. He is generally optimistic as there is an acute demand for quality education across countries and as interest in Chinese culture and society is rapidly growing in the West.
According to Prof. Lau, 'education without borders' will produce many CUHK alumni who can contribute to the long-term well-being of the HKSAR. Whether they choose to stay in Hong Kong after graduation or return to work on the mainland or in their home countries, they will form part of an extensive and powerful network that can sustain Hong Kong's continuous growth and reinforce her international position.