Thanks to Supporters

Hefty donation from Victoria Park Hotels Limited in support of PolyU and its School of Hotel and Tourism Management

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) recently received a generous donation of HK$80 million from Victoria Park Hotels Limited to help advance University development with special focus on hospitality and tourism education and research. A cheque presentation ceremony was held on 18 September 2017. PolyU Council Chairman Mr Chan Tze-ching (far right) and President Professor Timothy W. Tong (far left) on behalf of the University, received the cheque from Mr Lawrence Chan Man-yiu (second from the left) and Mr Charles Chan Man-wai (second from the right), Directors of Victoria Park Hotels Limited. In recognition of the Chan family’s generous contribution to the University, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management building will be named as “Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Building”. 

PolyU receives generous donation from outstanding alumnus Ir Wong Tit-shing to support student development

Outstanding PolyU Alumnus and Chairman of Jetta Company Limited, Ir Wong Tit-shing, recently made a generous donation of HK$2 million to support student development. This is already the seventh consecutive year that he has been making donation to his alma mater. A cheque presentation ceremony was held on 15 September 2017. PolyU President Professor Timothy W. Tong (right) and PolyU Foundation Chairman Dr Patrick Poon Sun-cheong (left) received the cheque from Ir Wong Tit-shing on behalf of the University. President Tong thanked Ir Wong for his significant contribution to the University over the years. The donation, like last year’s, will be used to support Service-Learning projects and to set up Wong Tit-shing Student Exchange Scholarship.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Foundation Appreciation Lunch

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) Foundation organised an appreciation lunch for its members in recognition of their staunch support and great contributions to the University on 10 October 2017. The invited guests included new and upgraded members in the categories of Honorary Life Chairman, Honorary Life President and Honorary Life Vice President. In the welcoming speech, Dr Patrick Poon, Chairman of the PolyU Foundation expressed his sincere appreciation to members for being the valued partners of PolyU, contributing to its advancement and helping it to achieve its goal of serving the community. Dr Poon also gave members an update about the PolyU Foundation since its establishment in 1 July 2014. While extending his heartfelt gratitude to the members, Prof. Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President, shared the latest achievements of PolyU regarding the ranking of the University. He also shared with members the series of upcoming celebratory activities for PolyU 80th Anniversary and encouraged members to actively participate in the celebrations. As a token of thanks, a Certificate of Appreciation and a specially designed souvenir were presented to members by Prof. Tong and Dr Poon.

Advancing accounting and finance research through endowed professorship

On 4 August, PolyU held an appreciation luncheon to express its gratitude to Ms Christina Lee, Director of China Elite Risk Management and Actuarial Consulting Company Limited (fifth from left), for establishing the Christina Lee Endowed Professorship in Accounting and Finance. The appointee of the professorship is Prof. J.C. Lin, Associate Head of PolyU’s School of Accounting and Finance and Chair Professor of Finance (first from left). Ms Lee is an investment and legal consultant. She upholds her family’s strong sense of social responsibility, providing ardent support for education and entrepreneurship and innovation endeavours of young people as well as encouraging them to exemplify the Chinese “spirit of craftsmanship” and fulfil social responsibility. Through the establishment of the professorship, Ms Lee hopes to advance innovative research in the accounting and finance disciplines to benefit society.

Appreciation Reception for Donors of “An Atrium for PolyU Alumni • A Legacy for Your Alma Mater” Fund-raising Campaign

On 13 July 2017, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held the Appreciation Reception for Donors of “An Atrium for PolyU Alumni • A Legacy for Your Alma Mater” Fund-raising Campaign at the Alumni Atrium. Certificates of appreciation were presented to the donors in recognition of their generous support for the campaign. More than 70 guests, including the donors, their friends and family members attended the event. President Prof. Timothy W. Tong extended his sincere appreciation to the donors. He also shared with the guests the latest developments of the University in the areas of its academic achievements, cutting-edge research and technology transfers, contributing to the advancement of the society in many ways. The event was concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Mr Alex Wong Chun-bong, President of the Federation of PolyU Alumni Associations. He encouraged the alumni to continue supporting University development and participating actively in alumni activities such that they can maintain a strong bond with their alma mater. “An Atrium for PolyU Alumni ‧A Legacy for Your Alma Mater Fund-raising Campaign” is a fund-raising initiative to solicit support for University development. Donors’ names are inscribed on nameplates placed inside the Alumni Atrium as token of appreciation of their support. The campaign has received donations from more than 120 individual alumni, alumni associations and PolyU supporters.

Endowed professorship fosters biomedical technology development

On 7 June, PolyU held an appreciation luncheon to express its gratitude to Dr Edwin Leong, Chairman and Founder of Tai Hung Fai Charitable Foundation (fourth from right), for establishing the Henry G. Leong Endowed Professorship in Biomedical Engineering. The appointee of the professorship is Ir Prof. Zheng Yong-ping, Head of the Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering (renamed as Department of Biomedical Engineering) (third from right). A long-standing supporter of PolyU, Dr Leong supported the establishment of the “PolyU – Henry G. Leong Mobile Integrative Health Centre” in 2007. The Henry G. Leong Endowed Professorship in Biomedical Engineering is the second endowed professorship set up by Dr Leong since the launch of the University’s Endowed Professorship Scheme in 2012. 

PolyU names lecture theatre after Dr Winnie Ko Pui-shuen

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has named a lecture theatre after Dr Winnie Ko Pui-shuen, Chairman of Kingrich Asia Holdings Limited, as a tribute to her distinguished contribution towards education and the development of the University. At the naming ceremony held on 9 May 2017, Mr Chan Tze-ching, PolyU Council Chairman, and Prof. Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President, expressed their sincere appreciation to Dr Winnie Ko Pui-shuen for her generous donation to PolyU and commended on her commitment to philanthropy. Members of PolyU Council, Court, PolyU Foundation Governing Committee and senior management, as well as Dr Ko’s friends from the business sector also attended the ceremony to witness this memorable moment. Located on the third floor of the Chan Tai Ho Building (FJ Wing), the Winnie Ko Pui Shuen Lecture Theatre has a seating capacity of 139 with state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment for teaching, seminars and academic workshops.

Establishment of Yim, Mak, Kwok & Chung Endowed Professorship in Smart Structures

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held an appreciation luncheon at Hotel ICON on 24 April 2017 to express its gratitude to Mr Yau Kwok-fai, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vantage International (Holdings) Limited, for establishing an endowed professorship in smart structures. The appointee of the professorship is Ir Prof. Xu You-lin, Dean of the Faulty of Construction and Environment and Chair Professor of Structural Engineering of PolyU.  Mr Yau is a graduate of the then Hong Kong Polytechnic, a predecessor of PolyU. He has been a keen supporter of the development of his alma mater. Previously in 2016, in the capacity of Director of Vantage Charity Foundation, Mr Yau facilitated and supported the establishment of the Endowed Professorship in Sustainable Structures and Materials and named it after his former teacher Ir Prof. Ko Jan Ming, Emeritus Professor of Faculty of Construction and Environment. This year, Mr Yau made another donation, this time on his own behalf, for the setting up of another endowed professorship and named it after his four teachers Mr Yim Kwong-yung, Ms Mak Suk-hing, Mr Kwok Hei-leung and Ms Chung Wai-fan from the Kwun Tong Government Secondary Technical School. With the setting up of these endowed professorships, Mr Yau wishes to honour the teachers’ selfless dedication to their students and their great contributions to society. Yim, Mak, Kwok & Chung Endowed Professorship in Smart Structures is the 16th endowed professorship established by PolyU since the launch of the Endowed Professorship Scheme in 2012, it is also the first endowed professorship set up by an alumnus. This professorship symbolizes a great encouragement to the staff and students of PolyU. It will also play a significant role in advancing the University’s research in structural engineering. articipants of the luncheon included (from the left) PolyU Deputy President and Provost Prof. Philip Chan, Mr Kwok Hei-leung, Ms Mak Suk-hing, Mr Yau Kwok-fai, PolyU President Prof. Timothy W. Tong, Mr Yim Kwong-yung, Ir Prof. Ko Jan Ming and Ir Prof. Xu You-lin. The Endowed Professorship Scheme is an initiative of PolyU to honour distinguished scholars for their outstanding academic and research achievements. The Scheme provides philanthropists with the unique opportunity to partner with the University to advance research and academic activities of a discipline of their choice for the benefits of the wider community. For more information of the Scheme, please visit the designated website here.

Appreciation Reception for Scholarship and Bursary Donors 2016/17

On 24 April 2017, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held an appreciation reception at the Alumni Atrium to thank donors who have set up scholarships and bursaries for students in the academic year 2016/17. Certificates of appreciation were also presented to donors who have supported PolyU’s scholarship/ bursary scheme for two decades. In 2016/17, PolyU received some HK$52 million from more than 400 donors. The donations were in the forms of scholarships, bursaries, financial assistance, and subsidies for student activities, benefiting over 3,000 students. During the reception, representatives from two organisations which have been supporting the University’s scholarship and bursary programme for 42 years shared with the audience their beliefs and aspiration to support education and PolyU. Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) Prof. Angelina Yuen extended her heartfelt appreciation to the donors and reminded students not to forget making contributions to society while pursuing personal achievements after their graduation. Six scholarship awardees staged their performance of yangqin, dombra (a classical musical instrument of Kazakhstan) and rope skipping respectively to express their sincerest gratitude to the donors.

Shanghai Fraternity Association visits PolyU

A delegation from the Shanghai Fraternity Association (SFA) visited The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 15 March. The delegation visited the facilities of PolyU for a better understanding of the University’s achievements in teaching and research. The delegation, led by Mr William Lee, Chairman of the SFA, was warmly welcomed by Professor Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President, Ir Professor Alex Wai, Vice President (Research Development), Dr Kitty Yam, Associate Vice President (Institutional Advancement), Professor Esmond Mok, Dean of Students and Professor Felix Chan, Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Engineering. The delegation visited the Research Centre in 3D Printing at the Industrial Centre, the Jockey Club Innovation Tower and the House of Innovation, and the guests were introduced to PolyU’s achievements in promoting innovation and technological development. The delegation also engaged in dialogue with PolyU representatives on advancing the development of higher education and society. Professor Tong looks forward to having more exchange with the SFA and working closely with its members for the betterment of higher education in Hong Kong. ther members of the delegation included Mr Hamen Fan and Mr Charles Chu, Vice Chairmen, Mr William Koo and Mr Jimmy Jim, Members of the Executive Committee and Ms Karen Lau, Chief Executive of the SFA.