Around 60 alumni of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) took part in the “Dialogue with the President” gathering organised by the Alumni Relations Office on 11 August. The participants enjoyed an amicable and fruitful discussion with the President Professor Way Kuo about the future development of the University.

Professor Julia Tao Lai Po-wah, Acting Vice-President (Development and External Relations) and Chief-of-Staff, Ms Kathy Chan Yin-ling, Associate Vice-President (Alumni Relations), and Ms Ada Leung Wing-yee, Associate Vice-President (Development), were also in attendance.

Professor Kuo began by updating the audience about the latest developments taking place at the University, including the setting up of the School of Energy and Environment. “Hong Kong is eight to 10 years behind in terms of implementing environmental protection measures. I am sure the new School of Energy and Environment will contribute to the sustainability of Hong Kong, mainland China and the world.”

The President also talked about the University’s determination to improve alumni relations. “Alumni are not just the product of CityU, but also the drivers of CityU. CityU is going to make you proud,” said Professor Kuo. “We rely on alumni to go out and tell people how good CityU is with concrete evidence, and broadcast our strengths and achievements.”

Alumni also took the opportunity to share their appreciation of the University and offer suggestions on raising CityU’s profile. A vision-impaired alumnus thanked CityU for its support to disabled students. Some alumni suggested that CityU build on strategic areas like multimedia to create a competitive edge. An alumnus raised a question on how to encourage CityU graduates and students to be more proud of their University. The President replied that the University would do its best to build mutual trust with the students and alumni in long-term. The University worked hard to improve graduate employability and planned to help alumni engage in life-long learning by granting them access to e-book resources at the library.