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The Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently approved the recommendation of the Search Committees to appoint Prof. Lee Chi-kin John as Dean of Education and Prof. Lee Siu-nam Paul as Dean of Social Science with effect from 1 August 2009. Each will serve for a term of five years on a full-time basis.

Prof. Lee Chi-kin John Appointed Dean of Education
Prof. Lee Chi-kin John has served concurrently as Dean of Education at CUHK since August 2003. He is currently Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and is the Director of the Centre for University and School Partnership. Prof. Lee graduated from the University of Hong Kong and received his PhD degree from CUHK. Before joining CUHK in 1994, he has held teaching positions in secondary schools and a College of Education.

A renowned educator, Prof. Lee has made significant contributions to the local and national education arena by actively serving on academic and professional associations. He is currently a council member of the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications as well as a Board Director of the Educational Foundation, Federation of Alumni Associations, CUHK and a member of Education Committee of Caritas-Hong Kong. He has served as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Education Research Association. Since 2005, he has served as a Fellow of the Hong Kong Primary Educational Research Association. He has also held numerous visiting/guest/adjunct professorships at universities overseas and in mainland China.

Prof. Lee has been honoured with the Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award 1999, the Faculty Exemplary Teacher’s Award 2003 and made a Justice of the Peace of the Hong Kong SAR in 2008. He is active in leading and securing education research and development projects, including the ‘Accelerated Schools for Quality Education Project’ which has won the Quality Education Fund (QEF) Outstanding Project Award in 2008. A prolific writer, he has edited and published 15 books, over 100 journal articles and book chapters.

Prof. John Lee remarked, ‘The Faculty of Education of the Chinese University, entering its 45th year next year, has made enormous achievements, thanks to the hard work of all colleagues and the leadership of my predecessors. As a member of the Faculty, I am very honoured by the University’s appointment and will do my utmost, with concerted efforts of our colleagues, to make the best of our excellent tradition in two languages and three dialects, in grooming education talent with international vision for society, and in promoting educational research and development in Hong Kong and China.'

Prof. Lee Siu-nam Paul Appointed Dean of Social Science
Prof. Lee is currently Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at CUHK, and has served concurrently as the Dean of Social Science since August 2005. He received his first and master’s degrees from CUHK and his PhD degree from the University of Michigan. He joined CUHK in 1986 and has contributed to the development and management of the University in a multitude of capacities, e.g. as Director of the School of Journalism and Communication, Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, and Dean of Social Science, while energetically keeping up the momentum of his scholarly pursuits.

An expert in international/intercultural communication, telecommunications policy, development communication and media criticism, Prof. Lee engages in timely and valuable research of topical interest, and actively participates in international conferences. He also collaborated with overseas and mainland scholars to conduct research projects, including a cross-cultural study on the flow of foreign media culture and people’s responses to it, and the first comparative study of Internet communication in Chinese societies.

A pioneer in the study of China and Hong Kong telecommunications, he is the first academic to be appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority in 1990-92 by the Hong Kong Government. In 1999, he was nominated as an Associate Fellow by the international communication network of the UNESCO, Orbicom. Prof. Lee has published widely at major cities all over the world and has authored and edited 14 books and numerous book chapters. He is also the founding chief editor of the Chinese Journal of Communication (Routledge).

Prof. Paul Lee remarked, ‘I am very pleased to accept the appointment. In raising the quality of its teaching programmes and research portfolios, the Faculty of Social Science aspires to excel further on the basis of its diversity and synergy.’

Full-time Appointed Deanship
The Higher Education in Hong Kong – Report of the University Grants Committee (Sutherland Report) of 2002 recommended a system of appointed Deans for local universities. All UGC-funded institutions now follow such a system, as do many leading overseas universities. Following a review of the University’s governance structure and consultations, the Council has decided to move from a system of ‘concurrent Deanships by election’ to ‘full-time Deanships by appointment’.

In accordance with the guidelines and procedures for the search and appointment of full-time faculty deans approved by the University Council in the summer of 2007, Search Committees for the Deanship of Social Science and Education were set up in December 2007 and April 2008 respectively. Subsequently both Committees launched global searches for the Deans of Education and Social Science. Dozens of nominations/ applications were received for each deanship. After carefully considering the nominations/applications, the Search Committees unanimously recommended Prof. Lee Chi-kin John for the Deanship of Education and Prof. Lee Siu-nam Paul for the Deanship of Social Science. In line with the appointment procedures, both professors had met with teachers and students of their respective faculties earlier to exchange ideas on the future developments of the faculties, and the Council subsequently appointed them as Deans.

With the appointment of Prof. John Lee and Prof. Paul Lee, CUHK has appointed six faculty deans since August 2008. The other four appointed deans are Prof. Mike McConville, Dean of Law; Prof. Fok Tai-fai, Dean of Medicine; Prof. Wong Tak-jun, Dean of Business Administration; and Prof. Hsiung Ping-chen, Dean of Arts.