University News ISEO to Merge into AR Prof. Herbert Tsang, Vice-President (Research & Support Services) and Academic Vice-President-Designate, has announced that in anticipation of the increase in international student exchange activities, the International Student Exchange Office (ISEO) will relocate and merge into the Academic Registry (AR) beginning July 1, 2002. Dedicated to the pursuit of multicultural experience for its students, the University has initiated several international student exchange programmes in the past few years. A Study Abroad Programme was launched in 1998, which is participated by 54 universities in North America. A university-wide student exchange agreement was signed in the following year with a number of distinguished universities in Australia, Canada, Europe, the US, and UK. Today, together with other departmental and faculty/school-based programmes, the University has over 60 student exchange partners and receives and sends each year over 50 students around the world. Recognising the benefits of student exchange programmes to both the students and the institutions, and the resource constraints with which institutions are faced, the University Grants Committee (UGC) has recently secured the agreement of the government to provide a one-off provision of $120 million to expand the number of student exchange places in UGC-funded institutions. HKBU will receive $10.8 million for 90 pairs of exchange students for each of the three years beginning 2002- 2003. Currently the administration of international student exchange primarily lies with AR and ISEO. While ISEO serves as a liaison with overseas institutions and the host office for incoming international students, AR handles all matters relating to their admission. AR also works with individual units such as the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies and the Department of Government International Studies in co-ordinating outgoing student activities. It is believed that the merger will facilitate the implementation of the UGC-initiated Student Exchange Programme as well as the administration of all existing exchange schemes. To further enhance the objective of the merger, ISEO will move to a new location more visible and accessible to students. Details will be announced in due course. Course Revisions At its recent meeting on May 27, the Senate resolved to make the following course revisions with effect from the 2002-03 academic year: (i) BA(Hons) in Music The Senate approved the addition of a new concentration for BA(Hons) in Music, namely, Music Education Concentration. The addition of the new concentration would facilitate a smooth transition for the ³2+2² programme leading to a Bachelor¹s degree and the Diploma in Education awards. (ii) BSc(Hons) in Applied Physics The title and award of the degree ³BSc(Hons) in Applied Physics² would be changed to ³BSc(Hons) in Physics². The title for the ³Physics with Industrial Studies Concentration² would be changed to the ³Applied Physics Concentration². The total number of required units for the Applied Physics Concentration would be reduced from 100 to 98. The course revisions for BSc(Hons) in Applied Physics followed a rationalisation of course design and unit loading. The number of required subjects would be reduced but the content of each subject would be enriched. More emphasis would be placed on the foundation subjects than the more advanced or specialised subjects. The new title for the degree would provide more flexibility in the future development of the Department of Physics. Staff Achievements Prof. David Yeung Prof. David Yeung, Professor of Finance & Decision Sciences and Director of the Centre of Game Theory, has been conferred the degree of Honorary Doctor (honoris causa) by St. Petersburg State University for his distinguished contributions to game theory and mathematics. Traditionally, St. Petersburg State University bestows Honorary Doctorates on distinguished scientists, Nobel laureates, royalty and political leaders, among whom was President Vladimir Putin (¥® ) of Russia. Founded by Peter the Great in 1724, St. Petersburg State University was the first university in Russia. It was incorporated with the Russian Academy of Sciences in the 18th century and has played an important role in the development of world famous Russian scientific schools. While receiving the honour, Prof. Yeung delivered a lecture on "Randomly-furcating Stochastic Differential Games, Structure-uncertainty and Indefinite Horizons" at the conferment ceremony held recently. Dr. Atara Sivan Dr. Atara Sivan, Associate Professor of Education Studies, has won an international Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology, as well as an award for her conference paper on "Implementing Peer Assessment to Enhance Teaching and Learning". Dr. Sivan, who was selected by means of a university- wide nomination process, was presented the award for her commitment to improving the quality of teaching and learning through various means such as teaching evaluation and peer assessment, as well as her contributions to the student learning process through the use of technology and innovative strategies. The award was presented at the 13th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning held earlier in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, which was attended by over 1,000 participants from 72 colleges and universities worldwide. The conference was organised by the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning of Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Dr. Sivan¹s paper, chosen as one of the 15 award-winning conference papers, was published in the Selected Papers from the 13th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning. Staff colleagues who are interested in reading this paper can contact the Office of the Academic Vice-President. Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar Programme The Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar Programme is now inviting applications from Hong Kong scholars for fellowship awards to undertake academic research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in major US universities and research institutes. Up to four awards will be made each year and the basic award for a 10-month grant is HK$350,000. A supplementary award of up to HK$150,000 is available for research expenses in justified cases. Applicants must be full-time academic staff of the University and residents of Hong Kong at the time of application. They must have served in an academic capacity in Hong Kong for the previous five years. Further information and application forms are available at the website of the Hong Kong-America Center at . The closing date for applications is October 9 (Wednesday). Business Innovation Awards for Business Students The School of Business has announced that two respective groups of MBA students and BBA students were selected among five competing groups to receive the "Business Innovation Awards" for the 2001-02 academic year. The business concept of the MBA-group project, "Hong Kong TravelMED Services", links healthcare services with tourism. Compounding the excess capacity at private hospitals in Hong Kong and a rapidly growing tourist industry between PRC and Hong Kong, the business aims at providing high quality medical checkup services for mainland Chinese visitors. Members of this winning team were Arthur Pong, Sandy Tai, Felix Tsang and Fred Tung. The project of the BBA group, entitled "Premium University Agent (PUA)", is a small business providing services to university student societies. In particular, PUA will act as a negotiator between the student societies and company sponsors. Group members included Axl Choi, Yvonne Chan, Circle Huen and Agnes Lee. The winning groups will each be awarded HK$5,000 and another HK$45,000 as business start-up funds if they put their business plans into practice and become partners/shareholders of the business. This Award Scheme, jointly offered with the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Northeast, aims at giving an opportunity to HKBU business students to start up a business in Hong Kong upon graduation. Both MBA and BBA students are eligible for entering the competition by enrolling in the MBA Project and the BBA elective subject of "Small Business Management" respectively. International Summer Institute 2002 The International Summer Institute (SI) 2002, an annual exchange programme co-organised by the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI) and the Wing Lung Bank International Institute for Business Development (IIBD), will be held from June 28 (Friday) to July 20 (Saturday). More than 60 students from Australia, the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, PRC and Hong Kong will participate in the Institute. SI is part of the University¹s internationalising effort and has been an ongoing activity since 1997. Since its inception five years ago, nearly 400 students from around the world have participated in the SI. An international faculty and student body guaranteed a cross-cultural learning environment, which many students have rated as the highlight of their university studies. In keeping with the unique role of Hong Kong as one of the major financial and trade centres where East meets West, the SI 2002 will offer courses related to international marketing, business management and socio-economic development in Southern China. Faculty from three member institutions of LEWI and IIBD, i.e. Assumption University in Thailand, Ohio University in the US and University of Western Sydney in Australia, will join hands with HKBU faculty to teach four subjects, three of which are at MBA level. In addition to classroom lectures, field trips and company visits will be arranged for students to know more about various business operations in Hong Kong. A two-night- three-day study tour to the Pearl River Delta will provide an opportunity for students and faculty to experience the social and economic changes in Southern China. An orientation programme for all participating students and faculty will be held this Friday in Room WLB 310, The Wing Lung Bank Building for Business Studies, Shaw Campus, and an opening ceremony will start at 9 am. Enquiries can be made with Ms. Jennifer Law at ext. 5217 or email . Changes in Frontline Support Staff Grades The Staff Affairs Committee (SAC) has carefully considered the ³Proposed New Ranks and Titles for Frontline Support Staff on Clerical and Executive Officer Grades² with the comments received at its recent meeting and decided not to implement the proposal at this point of time in view of the restrictions on the current structure on the one hand and too many uncertainties in the future on the other. However, notwithstanding this decision to shelf the proposal for the time-being, it was maintained at the SAC meeting that with all the changes that have taken place in the market and the revisions in the Executive Officer scale, the University should no longer recruit clerical staff into the current CO II rank (MPS 2 - 15) on the basis of the current entry requirements and outdated job expectations. Equally, it will no longer be appropriate to promote CO II to CO I rank on the basis of years of service and existing criteria. It was therefore resolved by the SAC that with effect from July 1, 2002, the University (i) will freeze recruitment of COs on the current CO II rank and salary scale (MPS 2 -15); (ii) will freeze promotion of CO II to CO I (MPS 16 - 21) on the basis of the current promotion criteria; (iii) will maintain and revise the current interim staff grades to maximise cost-effectiveness of limited resources as follows: Current Revised Executive Assistant $10,000 - 16,000 $10,000 - 21,000 General Clerk $7,000 - 10,000 $7,000 - 12,000 Office Helper $6,000 - 7,000 $6,000 - 7,000 (iv) will require all frontline support staff to fulfill certain staff development targets on an annual basis to strengthen their core competence skills and to catch up with the enhanced performance expectations. On ³staff development targets², reference should be made to the list of performance expectations and core competencies laid down for the Clerical and Executive Officer grades in the Manual on Non-teaching Staff Performance Management. To keep track of and encourage staff development efforts, the Personnel Office is prepared to build up a ³staff development register² centrally. More concrete plans on motivating staff in this direction will be further discussed and promulgated in due course. For staff who are currently employed on the Clerical/Executive Officer staff grades but carrying different functional titles, they will not be directly affected by the present changes. For details, staff colleagues can refer to the information distributed to their Deans/Heads of Offices/Departments or posted online at . Enquiries can be made with Ms. Margaret Tam at ext. 5082. Acting Appointments Prof. Herbert Tsang, Vice-President (Research & Support Services) and Academic Vice-President-Designate, is on leave from now until July 7. During this period, matters normally requiring the attention of VPRS should be referred to the Office of the President & Vice-Chancellor for consideration. Please also note the following acting arrangements during summer months; Person on leave Acting Person Effective Date Faculty of Arts Dr. Simon Chau Prof. Martha Cheung June 13 to 27 (Translation Programme) Dr. Eva Man Dr. Stephen Chu June 26 to July 3 (Humanities Programme) School of Chinese Medicine Prof. Kelvin Chan Prof. Liu Liang June 26 to 29 (Research & Development) School of Communication Dr. Charles Elliott Dr. Jeffrey Wilkinson June 24 to 30 (Communication Studies) School of Continuing Education Dr. Au Yeung Chi Ms. Tresa Yip June 17 to 28 (Administration) Faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Frank Fu Dr. Chow Kai-wing June 26 to 29 (Dean) Dr. Chan Kai-fong Dr. Sammy Chiu June 24 to 29 (Social Work) Dr. Petrus Ng July 8 to 13 Dr. Chow Kai-wing Dr. Chung Po-yin July 2 to 8 (History) Dr. James Stewart July 9 to 16 Prof. Li Si-ming Dr. Kenneth Wong July 15 to 16 (Geography) Dr. Larry Chow July 29 to August 25 Prof. Ma Hing-keung Dr. Dennis Chan July 2 to 5 (Education Studies) Dr. Alex Fung July 10 to August 7 Prof. Herbert Yee Dr. Chen Feng August 1 to 30 (China Studies Course) Estates Office Mr. Michael Kwok Mr. Aaron Tse July 2 to August 2 (Environmental Health & Safey Unit) Mr. Elton Loo Mr. Dennis Wu June 24 to July 7 Finance Office Mr. Alex Shuen Ms. Helen Leung June 25 to 28 Information Technology Services Centre Mr. Joseph Leung Mr. Ng Tsun-hao July 15 to 21 August 1 to 22 Mr. Tong Siu-hung July 22 to 31 International Student Exchange Office Mr. Benny Petty Dr. Robert Lam June 26 to July 31 Library Mrs. Shirley Leung Mr. Frederick Ng June 22 to 27 Office of Student Affairs Dr. Eddie Ho Mrs. Vivien Chan June 10 to 28 Revised Library Regulations The Library Committee has recently approved to revise the following library regulations relating to loan policies that will be effective from July 1, 2002: (i) To revise the renewal period for general materials for two categories of users: Terms B or C staff or equivalent in affiliated organisations four weeks Part-time faculty member four weeks (ii) To revise the loan quota (10 items) for Joint University Libraries Advisory Committee card holders: (iii) To revise the overnight loan check-out time: Reserve items on two-hour loan can be checked out for overnight three hours before closing and must be returned within the first half hour of the next opening day. New Medical & Dental Benefits Scheme Update The CHC-Group Medical Practice advised that Dr. Leung Yin-kwan, Bernard has his Waterloo clinic closed. Newsette to Appear on July 22 Due to the summer holidays, the next issue of Newsette will be published on July 22. Entries for the next issue should reach the Information & Public Relations Office, University Relations by noon, July 17 (Wednesday). .