University of Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong

香港大學
Coat of arms
Latin: Universitas Hongkongensis
Motto	Sapientia et Virtus (Latin) 明德格物 (Classical Chinese)
Motto in English	Wisdom and Virtue
Type	Public
Established	1 October 1887; 136 years ago (1887-10-01) (as Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese) 30 March 1911; 113 years ago (1911-03-30) (as University of Hong Kong)
Chancellor	John Lee Ka-chiu[note 1]
President	Xiang Zhang
Vice-president	Gong Peng[1] Ian Holliday[1] Max Shen[1]
Provost	Y.C. Richard Wong[1]
Pro-chancellor	David Li
Academic staff	9,288 (2023)[2]
Administrative staff	4,427 (2023)[2]
Students	39,166 (2023)[3]
Undergraduates	18,491 (47.2%) (2023)[3]
Postgraduates	20,675 (52.8%) (2023)[3]
Location	Pokfulam , Hong Kong 22°17′03″N 114°08′16″E / 22.28417°N 114.13778°E / 22.28417; 114.13778
Campus	Urban 17.7 hectares (0.177 km2) (Main campus) 70.1 hectares (0.701 km2) (Total)[4]
Newspaper	Undergrad HKUSU (Chinese)
Colours	Dark green[5]
Affiliations	AACSB ASAIHL ACU APRU BHUA EQUIS GHMUA Heads of Universities Committee JQRC JUPAS MISA UGC Universitas 21
Mascot	Lion
Website	hku.hk
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	香港大学
Traditional Chinese	香港大學
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiānggǎng Dàxué Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hēunggóng Daaihhohk Jyutping Hoeng1gong2 Daai6hok6 IPA [hœŋ˥.kɔŋ˧˥ taj˨.hɔk̚˨]

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of Hong Kong in 1911. It is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong.^[6]

The university was established and proposed by Governor Sir Frederick Lugard in an effort to compete with the other Great Powers opening universities in China. The university was originally established as an emulation of the University of Manchester, which emphasised sciences over humanities.

The university's governance consists of three bodies: the Court, the Council and the Senate. These three bodies all have their own separate roles. The Court acts as the overseeing and legislative body of the university, the Council acts as governing body of the University, and the senate as the principal academic authority of the university.

The principal academic and administrative officer of the university is the vice-chancellor, who simutaneously chairs the Senate and sits on all committees of the Council and Senate. The current office holder is Xiang Zhang. The chancellor, despite being the chief officer of the university holds a ceremonial role instead. The chancellor is assumed by the chief executive, formerly the governor prior to the handover in 1997. The power and role of the chancellor is exercised by the pro-chancellor.

The university currently has ten academic faculties, with English being its main medium of instruction and assessment. It currently has 20 residential halls and colleges for its students.

The university has educated many notable alumni in many fields. Among them is Dr Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China, a graduate of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, the predecessor of HKU. Notable alumnis in the field of politics include Anson Chan, Carrie Lam, Jasper Tsang and Regina Ip.

The University of Hong Kong was the first team in the world to successfully isolate the coronavirus SARS-CoV, the causative agent of SARS.^[7]

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