We are pleased to bring to you Issue 9 of the College Newsletter, which summarizes the events and achievements in the first half of 2014.  This period has been a significant one.  The College buildings were completed at the end of 2013, and we moved in during term break.  The College held the Grand Opening of its premises in March, and many of our friends and supporters had the opportunity to share with us the delight we take in the beautiful buildings and facilities. Meanwhile, student activities went on apace and the first Student Union has taken office.  As we settle in, we are now looking forward to the third cohort of students joining us in September, to further augment our strength.

The College held its fourth High Table Dinner of the academic year on 8 April 2014.  The guest of honour on the occasion was Mr Dick MK Lee, a CUHK alumnus and former Commissioner of Police, and he spoke on Leadership.  Mr Lee has served in the police force for 34 years, starting as a probationary inspector supervising a team of 40 and rising to command the entire force of 35,000.  He shared with students a number of leadership principles: mutual trust and team spirit, allocation of work and delegation, aspiration and the setting of goals, as well as lifelong learning.

The College expresses its sincere appreciation to donors for their generous support.

The College is pleased to announce the following appointments.

The following teacher and administrator have joined CW Chu College as affiliates.

Professor Eugene Ponomarev, Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine

Ms Joan Lai, Assistant Director (Administration), Estates Management Office

On 18 March 2014, the CW Chu College Service Team, in collaboration with Caritas Hong Kong, organized a visit to residents living in sub-divided flats along Castle Peak Road in Cheung Sha Wan and took the opportunity to conduct interviews with over twenty parties of residents. In groups of two, members of the Service Team knocked on the doors of different rooms in the neighbourhood and introduced themselves as volunteers who were there to understand more about the residents' living conditions and needs through questionnaires.

Two Scholars' Roundtables, as lunch gatherings on Saturdays, were held in Term 2, 2013–14 to bring College students into contact with leaders in the community and to share experience and views, in a relaxed and informal setting.

The College is committed to providing opportunities for students to get prepared for the workplace.  The College started its Internship Scheme in the summer of 2014, and a total of 25 summer internship opportunities were sourced from eight companies across various sectors, such as administration, human resources, marketing, media, product development, sales and sourcing, and shop management.  A total of 18 students were selected as interns after interviews by the companies concerned and they will complete internships this summer.  The College hopes that these internships after the first or second year of study should offer students a broadening experience and possibly also community engagement.  Moreover, several College students have joined global internship programmes abroad.

The College recruited its first cohort of students in 2012.  By summer 2014, these students will be going from Year 2 to Year 3, and should start thinking about the workplace.  After consulting students, the College organized a workshop entitled 'Getting Ready for the Workplace' on 26 May 2014.

Social English Workshop

To bolster students' self-confidence when using English on different types of social occasions, the College organized three sessions of Social English Workshop in April 2014.  This interesting and inspiring workshop was faciliated by Mr Brian MacLean, a native English speaker who has spent many years in Hong Kong as a teacher, and as a trainer at all levels of some of Hong Kong's largest employers.  Mr MacLean drew an analogy between social communications and table tennis, both of which are played in a back and forth manner.  He instructed participating students in making communications more interactive. In the second and third sessions, some hostel residents from other colleges joined the workshop with CWC students.  After each session, the host and participants enjoyed port and cheese together, and the facilitator also introduced to the participants the relevant 'globalised' etiquette.

Taichi Classes for Beginners

Taichi is an outstanding gem of traditional Chinese culture that is valuable in promoting health, developing combat and self-defence skills, and improving concentration. A series of beginners' Taichi classes were offered to College students in Term 2, 2013–14.  The classes were taught by a certified instructor of the International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation.  A total of 12 students, including exchange students from Demark, Sweden and the USA, participated in the classes.  As some of the participants were exchanges students, the class was taught in English.

Starting from Term 2 of the academic year 2013–14, after the College relocated to the new campus, the communal dinners were held in the Multi-Purpose Hall of the College.  The College engaged students to organize and promote student activities, and to share their experiences during communal dining.

Academic Planning Day for Secondary 5 Students

The Academic Planning Day for Secondary 5 Students was held on 29 March 2014.  Over 800 prospective students visited the information booth of CW Chu College in the foyer of Sir Run Run Shaw Hall.  College students shared with participants their college life and answered their queries.  More than 140 Secondary 5 students attended the briefing sessions hosted by Prof Kenneth Young, College Master, and Prof Thomas Au, the chair of the Admissions, Scholarships and Financial Aid Committee, in YC Liang Hall.  The two professors introduced CW Chu College and the college system of CUHK to the students.  A video featuring the new College campus was also shown during the briefing sessions.  Many students were impressed by the remarkable campus design and took the opportunity to chat with the professors.

The next issue of the CW Chu College Newsletter will be published in January 2015.  College members are welcomed to provide news and contributions (in either Chinese or English) to the College Office via email (info.cwchu@cuhk.edu.hk) by 19 December 2014.