Presidents’ Forum: What Makes A University Great?
VIEW EVENT DETAILSAfternoon Panel Discussion
Reception 5:15pm;
Conversation 5:30pm;
Close 6: 30pm
Every year, millions of secondary school students apply to institutions of higher education around the world. For many of those students and their families, the aim is admission to a top university, the competition for which has become ever more intense. But what makes a university great for its students? Is it an attractive location, an innovative curriculum, a prestigious faculty, or a high ranking in a global evaluation? And even more importantly, what makes a particular university great for an individual student? Moreover, many societies are seeking to build first-rate public universities. But again, what makes universities great for their communities? Is it the citizens they educate, the entrepreneurs they produce, the innovations they generate for local industry, or the solutions they develop for their society’s problems? How can university leaders set priorities among these multiple goals? This program brings together the presidents of two leading public universities – for a frank consideration of what makes a university great.
Teresa A. Sullivan is the University of Virginia’s eighth president. Since taking office in 2010, she has led UVa through a period of significant progress. In fall 2012, she launched a planning effort to provide a road-map for the University’s future, while gathering input from 10,000 alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and others. This effort produced a new strategic plan for the University, the Cornerstone Plan. President Sullivan is a respected scholar in labor force demography. The author or coauthor of six books and many scholarly articles, her most recent research has focused on measuring productivity in higher education. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prior to UVa, President Sullivan was provost and executive vice president for academic affairs for University of Michigan, and before that she was executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Texas System, a position she held from 2002 until May 2006. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College, and earned her doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Chicago.
Tony F. Chan assumed the presidency of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in September 2009. Under his leadership, HKUST’s global ranking has improved consistently— currently 28th in the world (QS), top 5 in Asia (QS), top 5 among young universities globally (QS & THE), and 14th in world employability. During his term, the University has transitioned smoothly from a three year to a four year curriculum, with major changes such as adopting a university-wide core curriculum and School-based admission. In the most recent (2014) UGC-led HK-wide Research Assessment Exercise, HKUST has 70% of its achievements rated world-leading or internationally recognized, by far the highest in Hong Kong. Several new major infrastructure projects have been either built or developed — with major donations raised — for the university to achieve its academic and research mission — including three major academic buildings, as well as a Conference Lodge, a graduate residence hall, and a 1000-seat multi-purpose auditorium. The number of endowed professorships increased from less than 10 to over 30. Before joining HKUST, President Chan was Assistant Director of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate at the US National Science Foundation from 2006 to 2009, and guided and managed research funding in astronomy, physics, chemistry, mathematical science, and material science. He received his BS and MS degrees in Engineering from Caltech and his PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University.
Harry Harding holds a dual appointment as Visiting Professor of Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and University Professor and Professor of Public Policy at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In addition to several edited volumes, his major publications include Organizing China: The Problem of Bureaucracy, 1949-1966; China’s Second Revolution: Reform after Mao; A Fragile Relationship: the United States and China since 1972; and the chapter on the Cultural Revolution in the Cambridge History of China. He served as the founding dean of U.Va.’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy between 2009 and 2014. Before joining the Batten School, he held faculty appointments at Swarthmore College and Stanford University and was a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. From 1995 to 2005 he was Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University, and from 2005 to 2007 was Director of Research and Analysis at Eurasia Group, a political risk research and advisory firm based in New York. He has served on the boards of several educational and non-profit institutions as well as on the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Science and Technology and the U.S. Defense Policy Board. A graduate of Princeton in public and international affairs, he holds a PhD in political science from Stanford University. (Moderator)
Event Details
Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty