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CUHK Joins the Worldwide Universities Network as the First Hong Kong Member University
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has joined the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) as the first member university in Hong Kong. CUHK becomes the 17th member of WUN, an exclusive network of global universities that is committed to making significant advances in knowledge and understanding of some of the most pressing issues facing humankind.
The addition of CUHK extends WUN’s reach into Hong Kong, one of the world’s most fascinating cities with an aspiration to be an internationally competitive hub of talents. It also grows the number of WUN’s Chinese partners to three alongside mainland universities Nanjing University and Zhejiang University. Other member universities of WUN spread across seven countries, all of which are well respected research-led universities in the world. Many of the member universities are partners of CUHK.
Research activities within WUN cover a wide spectrum of areas. WUN fosters collaboration among its members in research, education, and mobility in four key areas identified as the Global Challenges, including ‘Adapting to Climate Change’, ‘Globalisation of Higher Education and Research’, ‘Public Health’, and ‘Understanding Cultures’. CUHK has appointed senior academics to spearhead collaborations within the Network in each of these areas.
CUHK hosted a ceremony today (17 October 2011) for the signing of the WUN Heads of Agreement by the Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, Prof. Joseph J Y Sung and the Chief Executive of WUN, Prof. John Hearn. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prof. Joseph J Y Sung remarked, ‘WUN comprises some very prestigious research universities from around the world and we are deeply honoured to join the Network as the first member university in Hong Kong. CUHK and WUN share great common interest in a number of research areas. Today’s signing will provide a formal platform for CUHK to make major contributions to the Network’s advancement in research, creating synergy and extending our reach to the global community.’
Commenting on CUHK’s admission into the Network, Prof. John Hearn said CUHK is welcomed unanimously by the existing members and he looks forward to the new perspectives, knowledge, and impact that CUHK will bring to the team.
About the Worldwide Universities Network
WUN comprises 17 research-intensive universities spanning 5 continents, including Nanjing University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Pennsylvania State University, University of Alberta, University of Auckland, University of Bergen, University of Bristol, University of Cape Town, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of Sydney, University of Washington, University of Western Australia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of York, and Zhejiang University. Its mission is to be one of the leading international Higher Education networks, collaborating to accelerate the creation of knowledge and to develop leaders who will be prepared to address the significant challenges, and opportunities, of our rapidly changing world. WUN creates new, multilateral opportunities for international collaboration in research and graduate education. It is a flexible, dynamic organisation that uses the combined resources and intellectual power of its membership to achieve collective international objectives and to stretch international ambitions. To learn more about WUN please visit www.wun.ac.uk.
CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President Prof. Joseph Sung (left) and Chief Executive Officer of WUN Prof. John Hearn (right) sign the Heads of Agreement for the University's admission into the Network.
The signing ceremony is witnessed by CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jack Cheng (fourth from the right) and champions identified for the WUN Global Challenges including Prof. Sian Griffiths, Director and Professor of the School and Public Health and Primary Care (third from the left); Prof. Wong Wing Shing, Professor of Information Engineering (third from the right); and Prof. Simon Haines, Chairman and Professor of the Department of English (second from the right).
