Chinese University of Hong Kong to bid for Northern Territory university campus plots, president says
CUHK president Professor John Lu says the Northern Territory University City project will help expand the footprint of Hong Kong's eight public universities. He calls for larger government loans, noting HK$10 billion can only build five buildings, and warns separated bidding timelines increase plann
The first three plots of land for the Northern Territory University City project, located in Hung Shui Kiu, are currently open for tender, with bids closing at the end of this year. Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) president Professor John Lu has confirmed that the university will participate in the bidding process.
In an interview with the Ming Pao, Professor Lu said he believes the university city project will allow Hong Kong's eight public universities to expand their footprint and increase their impact on society. However, he noted that the government has separated the three university city campuses — located in Hung Shui Kiu, San Tin and Ta Kwu Ling — into different tender periods, which adds to the difficulty of planning for universities.
Professor Lu described the size of the university city as not particularly large, saying that a balance should be struck between “ideals and reality”. He predicted that the number of overseas institutions that would set up campuses there would not be high.
Using a “boutique hotel” as an analogy, Professor Lu said that while Hong Kong's universities have strong reputations and high international rankings, their weakness is limited space. He argued that if universities want to do things that can “change the world”, the size of the campus matters because it affects how many researchers can be accommodated, which in turn influences patents and the number of academic papers produced. He expressed confidence that the university city would help overcome the problem of insufficient space.
On financing, Professor Lu said the university would manage its finances prudently and only bid within its means. Although the government has provided a HK$10 billion loan facility, he noted that there is a cap on individual loans and that construction costs are high. He estimated that HK$10 billion could only build five buildings, and expressed hope that the government would increase the loan amount.
When asked about the re-establishment of the student union, Professor Lu said the university is drafting a standardised template for student union constitutions to allow students to register their societies with the police. However, he said there is no timetable for this process and that he could not promise to re-establish the student union during his tenure.