Historical Summary and Governance Structure I. Brief History Hong Kong Baptist University was founded as Hong Kong Baptist College by the United Hong Kong Christian Baptist Churches Association (now named the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong) in 1956 and was officially opened on September 11 that year. Its opening was the partial fulfillment of a long cherished aim predating World War II, to establish a Baptist university in South China. Its founding status was as a private, four-year post- secondary institution with 152 students enrolled in five departments: Foreign Languages and Literature, Sociology, Business Administration, Mathematics and Science, and Civil Engineering. From 1956 to 1966, the institution used the facilities of Pui Ching Middle School while planning for the construction of a permanent campus. Enrolment in 1964-65 reached 952. The Hong Kong Government granted a site in Kowloon on which the Waterloo Road Campus was completed and occupied on May 1, 1966. This achievement enabled the institution to begin to develop its full potential as a Christian institution of higher learning. In 1970, the institution became the first institution to be recognised by the Hong Kong Government as an approved post-secondary college under the Post-Secondary College Ordinance. From 1972 to 1974, the institution went through a series of external assessments first by the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning which granted full membership in 1972, then by an accreditation team from the Southern Association of Universities and Colleges of the United States of America, in 1974. The general requirements for accreditation with them were met and Baptist College courses gained acceptance as equivalent to first degree courses in North America. In 1981, at the invitation of the Hong Kong Government, the United Kingdom Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) visited the institution to assess the academic awards of the Post-Advanced Level courses offered. The CNAA team concluded that Baptist College should be given the right to mount British style honours degree work with appropriate government funding. Based on the findings of the CNAA assessment, the Government included the institution under the ambit of the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee (UPGC) in 1983 and enacted new legislation to reflect its new role and degree-granting status within the spectrum of higher education institutions. In 1985, with Government support, the institution began a five-year HK$300-million building and refurbishment programme which added five more new buildings and greatly enhanced the learning environment for the students. A second campus on the nearby Renfrew Road, connected by footbridge to the existing campus, will be ready for occupancy in late 1994 or early 1995 and will almost triple the usable space of the University. Both the site and basic funds were provided by the Government as they continue to support Baptist University as a prominent factor in the overall plan for tertiary education in Hong Kong. In 1993 the institution successfully passed an Institutional Review to establish its ability for self-accreditation, thus removing the last barrier to becoming a university. Hong Kong Baptist University, while fulfilling its task of improving the educational and professional opportunities for the young people of Hong Kong with the support of public funds, is firmly committed to the broad principles of Christian higher education on which it was originally founded. In fact, the University's public ordinance not only safeguards this commitment, but requires it. II. Governing Structure The Hong Kong Baptist University has operated as an autonomous publicly-funded institution by its own Ordinance since 1983. On November 16, 1994, the existing Ordinance was amended by the Legislative Council thereby ratifying the title change from College to University, effective November 25, 1994. The governance structure of the University, as established by the amended Ordinance, is in line with internationally recognised practices for publicly-funded, autonomous institutions of higher education. There are two supreme statutory governing bodies -- the Council, comprising 33 members, and the Senate. A third body, the Court, fulfills the role of supreme advisory body and comprises 40 members. The majority of both the Council and the Court are lay members independently appointed by the Governor of Hong Kong and the Chancellor of the University respectively, from outside the Institution, primarily from industry, commerce and the professions. The Council is the executive and supreme governing body of the College. As such it is vested with the power to appoint the President and Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Presidents and must perform all the duties imposed on the University by the Ordinance including, inter alia, annual budget estimates and annual audited accounts. Membership (ex officio) includes student representation. The Senate comprises mainly internal academic staff and students and is the highest authority for academic decisions. III Statement of Purpose and Aim (Institutional Mission) Hong Kong Baptist University is a Christian institution of higher learning. It is our commitment to uphold Christian principles in the pursuit of knowledge and truth in all areas of human concern. We believe that the integration of Christian ideals in academic preparation is a valid goal. The University aims at educating the whole person to be well-balanced in academic achievement, professional competence, and character development. We believe that graduates with this kind of education will be creative leaders and responsible citizens. The academic programmes at Hong Kong Baptist University are geared to the individual needs of students who have demonstrated their intellectual potential for advanced studies. Students are given a broadly based education plus appropriate specialisation in their chosen disciplines. All courses, undergraduate and postgraduate, are offered at a level compatible with international standards of institutions of higher learning. These are designed to give sufficient practical training to students who plan to enter professional careers and at the same time to provide undergraduates adequate preparation for postgraduate studies. .