In some UK and overseas universities, the president or chancellor is the nominal head with little or no executive influence. Julia Goodfellow, the president of Universities UK, mentioned to South China Morning Post on 25 April that UK universities appointed chancellors on their own and the title was only ceremonial. However in the case of Hong Kong universities, the chancellor is not just the government’s chief executive, but has the authority to appoint members of university ruling councils. The Chief Executive has the power to nominate up to half of the members, which can influence the council’s decision making process.
The lack of control over finding the right governors to suit institutions’ needs may have “potential consequences”, according to the report written by University Grants Committee (UGC) member and former University of Liverpool vice-chancellor Howard Newby.
Newby suggested Hong Kong universities draw up their own skills templates for council members. Also, the UGC should review university governance every five years and set out the roles and responsibilities of universities and the government.
Commentary by Anna Lee, British Council Hong Kong:
The reports come amid controversies around academic freedom and institution autonomy, as evidenced by recent protests at Hong Kong University following the appointment of a new chairman of the governing council. These protests involved a week-long boycott of classes by students. Although currently there is no sign of students turning away from choosing local universities as their first choice (which research by British Council suggests is usually the case), if the dissatisfaction with the current political issues persists it is not inconceivable that this may happen, which could have some benefit for student recruitment to the U.K.
On a day to day basis these issues should not affect partnerships between UK and Hong Kong universities, however UK universities visiting Hong Kong may want to be aware of these issues.
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