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The Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) held a special meeting today (17 April) to discuss the reorganisation of the University Council. The report of the Taskforce on the Review of the Size and Composition of the CUHK Council, which concludes that the proposals by a taskforce set up by the Council in 2016 remain fit for purpose, was submitted to the Council. After thorough discussion, the Council endorsed the report.

The Taskforce’s main findings include:

1. The Taskforce believes that a downsizing exercise is long overdue, and between 25 to 34 council members would be a reasonable target for the downsized Council.
2. In terms of the ratio of internal to external members, the Taskforce considers that between 1:1.64 to 1:2.13 would be a reasonable mix for good governance purposes and in line with the majority of other UGC-funded universities.
3. In order to demonstrate the public accountability of CUHK, the Taskforce considers it appropriate for the Chancellor to continue to appoint some CUHK Council members, as well as key officers of the CUHK Council, including the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer, which is in line with the standard practice in other UGC-funded universities.
4. The Taskforce believes it appropriate to approve the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor/President and the Provost by between two-thirds majority and 75% of Council members.
5. The Taskforce believes that the current number of three seats for Legislative Council (LegCo) members on the Council should be reviewed in the interest of achieving more optimal downsizing of the Council.
6. The Taskforce fully recognises and cherishes the support of CUHK alumni. However, in the interest of downsizing the Council, the Taskforce supports the 2016 Proposals that there should be one Council seat for a representative elected by the Convocation and that at least one of the four members appointed by the Council should be a CUHK alumnus.
7. The Taskforce also agrees that there should be one seat each for representatives elected by undergraduate students and postgraduate students respectively.
8. The Taskforce fully supports and cherishes the CUHK’s unique collegiate system. However, to achieve a downsized Council, other means to ensure good communication between the Colleges and the Council should be considered, such as inviting the College Heads/Masters to attend the Council meetings as observers instead of full members.

The Taskforce, chaired by Dr Norman T.L. Chan, was established on 12 December 2022 to review the 2016 proposals on the size and composition of the Council, and see if it remains fit for purpose in the light of the proposals submitted to LegCo’s Panel on Education at its meeting on 16th December 2022. The Taskforce was also responsible for reporting its findings to the CUHK Council after consulting the key stakeholders.

To achieve good governance as required by the UGC, this Taskforce represents the Council’s third attempt in the 14 years since 2009 (2009, 2016 and 2023) to reorganise its size and composition.

Click HERE for information about the Taskforce for the Review of the Size and Composition of the CUHK Council, the Work Report on the Desirable Size and Composition of the Council, the Proposed Amendments to the Statutes of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Report of the Taskforce on the Review of the Size and Composition of the CUHK Council, and the Summary and Analysis of Comments/Feedback Collected.

Please see the appendix for more details about the membership of the Taskforce and the consultation process.